Eddie Van Halen Checks Into Rehab And Out Of Hall Of Fame Induction

Not only has the Van Halen reunion tour been put on the back burner, but Eddie Van Halen's entry into a rehabilitation clinic this week means that he likely won't attend the band's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on Monday either.

The guitarist posted the following message to fans on the Van Halen website on Thursday:

"I would like Van Halen fans to know how much I truly appreciate each and every one of you. Without you there is no Van Halen.

"I have always and will always feel a responsibility to give you my best. At the moment I do not feel that I can give you my best. That's why I have decided to enter a rehabilitation facility to work on myself, so that in the future I can deliver the 110% that I feel I owe you and want to give you.

"Some of the issues surrounding the 2007 Van Halen tour are within my ability to change and some are not. As far as my rehab is concerned, it is within my ability to change and change for the better. I want you to know that is exactly what I'm doing, so that I may continue to give you the very best I am capable of.

"I look forward to seeing you in the future better than ever and I thank you with all my heart."

Drummer Alex Van Halen is said to be backing out of the Hall Of Fame ceremony as a show of support for his brother. David Lee Roth announced that he'd boycott the event because he was upset that Velvet Revolver was asked to perform Van Halen songs as part of the group's induction.

That means that Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, who were both tossed out of Van Halen, will probably be the band's only representatives when they're honoured. While the prospect of Scott Weiland singing "Runnin' With The Devil" isn't exactly inspiring, we'll still take him (and pretty much anyone else) over Hagar.

Talk of a Van Halen reunion tour with Roth fronting the band had been rampant and the announcement of dates seemed imminent last month until, without any reason being given, it was postponed indefinitely. Odds are that the factors that forced Valerie Bertinelli's ex-husband into rehab are probably the main reason, but maybe his bass-playing son Wolfgang just needed more time to learn the songs before hitting the road with the old guys.