Van Halen fired Hagar in 1996, after which the singer returned to making music under his own name and focused on his bars — including a flagship cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico — and a tequila brand he’d later sell for $80 million.

Sammy Hagar, as he often does during interviews, turned heads recently when he said he'd written a song inspired by a dream he had about Eddie Van Halen, and had tapped Joe Satriani to bring it to life. Now, the Red Rocker has released the song, Encore, Thank You, Goodnight, and it represents a surprise new chapter in the Van Halen storybook.