Sammy Hagar saluted Wolfgang Van Halen on his Instagram account, after Van Halen expressed his thoughts on how his upcoming solo debut will be perceived. Hagar responded to Wolfgang's post answering a fan who asked if having such a legendary father was a “gift or a curse.” Wolfgang posted in part: “It's really equally both. Being who I am, I think people at the least will be interested in what my work will sound like, which is very nice. . . I'm not trying to be my father, I'm trying to be me.”
Sammy Hagar posted on the thread: “Wolfie, that’s a great answer and the only way you will ever be happy and satisfied is doing your own thing the way you hear it in your head and feel it in your heart! You inherited genetically enough talent for 10 lifetimes. Use it the way you want. P.S. I’ve heard a couple snippets and they are bad f***ing ass!!! Hope I run into you someplace once we all get out of prison ha ha. Stay safe. Love to your mom & dad.”
Wolfgang responded saying, “Thanks so much for the kind words, Sam! Can’t wait for you to hear it. Much love to you and yours.”
Wolfgang Van Halen took over bass duties for Van Halen in time for the band's 2007 reunion with David Lee Roth, and was featured on Van Halen's last studio set, 2011's A Different Kind Of Truth. At the time, Wolfgang told us he was confident the material on the set could fit naturally alongside the band's older classics: “I'm really, really proud of the record. I think it's a great record, and I think it really captures the old Van Halen sound because they're from demos of the older days, you know. I kind of wanted to put Dad (Eddie Van Halen, guitarist), Al (Van Halen) and Dave into the mindspace of when they wrote, like, 'Runnin' With The Devil' and 'Dance The Night Away' and stuff like that, y'know? And I think we did a pretty good job.”
