STEVE LUKATHER DENIES RUMORS OF PLAYING GUITAR ON NEW VAN HALEN ALBUM

TOTO’s Steve Lukather has dismissed recent reports suggesting he will play guitar on a new VAN HALEN album.

Earlier this week, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported that Alex Van Halen was working on a collection of previously unreleased VAN HALEN recordings, with Lukather assisting in completing them. In a paywalled Guitar World article, Alex was quoted as saying:

“Ed and Steve Lukather were very good friends and often worked together. There’s no one better suited to help me through this process.”

Lukather, seemingly surprised by the comment, responded in the same article:

“Did Alex say that? Oh, in that case, the news is true. Ed, Alex, and I were very close for years. It’s true that we worked on this together.”

However, on Saturday (March 15), Lukather took to Instagram to clarify his involvement, writing:

“For the record: Ever since Alex Van Halen mentioned we were going to work together, there’s been a huge misunderstanding.

I will NEVER play a single note on a VAN HALEN song—ever!

Al asked me to help sort through a ton of unfinished recordings of him and Ed writing and recording together—music that never saw the light of day. That’s all I know at this point.

The idea that I would play guitar on this is ridiculous. I have too much love and respect for Ed and his music. Plus, I don’t play anything like him. My role is more of a co-producer, if anything. I’m honored Al would ask me.

Let’s see…”

Alex has previously stated there’s enough material in the VAN HALEN vault for “three or four albums.” On Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast, he shared:

“I’ve talked about it loosely, and I’m a bit superstitious, but I can say this: We’re going through the vault, digging into the ideas Ed left behind. There’s some great stuff in there.

When you’re in the thick of it, sometimes you miss the real gems. It’s only when you revisit them later that you realize, ‘Wow, I forgot about this. This kicks ass.’ But it takes time. I want to do it right.”

LUKATHER & VAN HALEN’S HISTORY

Eddie Van Halen and Steve Lukather had a long history of collaboration. Lukather played the main riff on Michael Jackson’s Beat It, while Eddie provided the iconic solo. Eddie also played bass on Lukather’s debut solo album and made a guest appearance on Steve’s 2003 Christmas album, Santamental.

Following Eddie’s passing in 2020, Lukather reflected on their friendship in an interview with Metal Master Kingdom:

“It’s still hard for me—the wound is deep. I was honored to be Ed’s real friend, not just a guitar buddy. Our friendship lasted over 40 years.

I love all the guys in VAN HALEN. I’m Switzerland when it comes to their relationships. I was just on Sammy’s [Hagar] show, and he was great to me. Mike [Anthony] is always kind. But I’ve always stayed especially close with Al.

Losing Ed left a hole in my heart that won’t go away. We didn’t just talk about guitars—we talked about our kids, our lives. Toward the end, we mostly just bragged about our sons. That’s what mattered.”

While Lukather’s role in the VAN HALEN project remains undefined, one thing is clear—his deep respect for Eddie ensures the music’s legacy will be handled with care.

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