Over the years, Van Halen has worked with several different singers, but drummer Alex Van Halen recently revealed that the band once considered both Ozzy Osbourne and Chris Cornell for the role.
In 2001, after finding themselves without a vocalist, Van Halen explored the idea of recruiting Ozzy Osbourne as their frontman. Alex and his brother, Eddie Van Halen, even met with Ozzy’s wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, to discuss the possibility of recording an album together.
“When you get a dog, you don’t expect it to be a cat,” Alex told Rolling Stone. “When you get an Ozzy, you get Ozzy. Play the music, he’ll sing, and it’s gonna be great.”
However, those plans never materialized, as Ozzy became preoccupied with his family’s reality TV show, The Osbournes. Reflecting on the missed opportunity, Ozzy confirmed, “Yes, we were discussing it. If it had come to fruition, it would have been phenomenal. Eddie and Alex were great friends, and I regret we never made it happen. The Osbournes show got in the way of creating new music, unfortunately.”
Another Potential Frontman: Chris Cornell
Alex also mentioned that Chris Cornell, frontman of Soundgarden, was briefly considered as a replacement singer for Van Halen. Though Alex couldn’t pinpoint the exact timeline, he recalled jamming with Cornell and being struck by his intensity.
“Chris was in a very fragile part of his life,” Alex said. “I got behind the drums, and he started playing bass. We played for 45 minutes. This guy was so into it he started bleeding. I thought, ‘This is the man you want.’ But then he passed away.”
Ultimately, Van Halen’s lineup shifted back to familiar faces, with Sammy Hagar returning for a stint, followed by David Lee Roth’s reunion with the band. As Alex sees it, the band’s classic 1974-1985 lineup—himself, Eddie, Roth, and bassist Michael Anthony—remains the defining era of Van Halen.
“The heart, soul, creativity, and magic was Dave, Ed, Mike, and me,” Alex said.