David Lee Roth appears to be on his final lap with the devil.
Roth, the rocker who fronted Van Halen during its peak and most recent iteration has announced his retirement following a series of gigs in Las Vegas in December and January.
“I am throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring,” Roth told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, offering little explanation as to why.
The rocker, 66, revealed the news to the Review-Journal exclusively over the phone. During the chat, Roth mentioned Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen’s death — which occurred in October 2020 — as one of the possible reasons for his retirement but provided no specifics.
“I am encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter,” Roth told the outlet, later adding that he imagined he “might have been the first” to die of the band members, rather than Eddie Van Halen.
He also stated that he did not want to “endanger” his future by continuing to perform, citing advice from his “doctors” and “handlers.”
Roth has announced that he will perform his final five shows at Mandalay Bay’s House of Blues between December 31 and January 8.
“I’m not going to explain the statement. The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows,” he told the Review-Journal. The performances’ tickets will go on sale on Saturday.
Roth, widely regarded as one of the greatest rock frontmen of all time, worked with Van Halen from 1974 through 1985, returning for brief periods in 1996 and 2006. Beginning in the mid-1980s, he also launched a solo career.