Eddie Van Halen’s ex-wife, actress Valerie Bertinelli has been making the rounds promoting her new book, “Enough Already: Learning To Love The Way I Am Today.” Naturally, given her history with Van Halen, numerous questions have been asked about the band, singer David Lee Roth and Bertinelli’s legendary, late ex-husband. Recently she appeared on fellow actor Rob Lowe’s “Literally! With Rob Lowe” podcast and was asked about her relationship with the rest of Van Halen once she started dating Eddie.
“After Ed and I became involved, all of a sudden there was this rule that there was no girlfriends and no wives allowed on the road,” Bertinelli said. “I got along great with Al [drummer Alex Van Halen] and with Mike [bassist Michael Anthony]. It was someone else,” she said apparently referencing singer David Lee Roth. “I don’t know why he didn’t like me, but what are you gonna do? I don’t know why he didn’t like me. I mean, I was always nice to him. I honestly don’t know.” Bertinelli said she hopes to make peace with the singer. “One day I’d like to sit down with him and go, ‘Dude, what did I do? Honestly, I’ve always been a fan of yours. I think you’re a brilliant frontman, I think you’re a brilliant songwriter, I love your lyrics. Why don’t you like me? What did I do?'” she said.
Lowe also asked Bertinelli if Roth thought of her as the “Yoko Ono of Van Halen.” Yoko Ono was often blamed for the split of The Beatles after marrying John Lennon. “Well, I have been accused of that, even though Yoko didn’t break up The Beatles, and I certainly didn’t break up Van Halen.” Bertinelli and Eddie split in 2002. They were married for 21 years. In her book, she revealed the last words spoken between her, Eddie, and their son, Wolfgang, when the guitarist was in the final stages of his cancer battle. “I love you are the last words Ed says to Wolfie, and me and they are the last words we say to him before he stops breathing,” Bertinelli writes.
