Sammy Hagar clarifies 'we all got to die' remark on performing amid pandemic, fans say they support him
Sammy Hagar has taken to his social media to clarify remarks he made about returning to the stage amid the Covid-19 pandemic. In early May, the former Van Halen frontman shared about his life in quarantine with Rolling Stone, but his statement was compiled together with 13 other statements from musicians and published on June 23.
At the time, Hagar said he was taken the lockdown directives very seriously, but was anxious to return to the stage as soon as it was safe, although he did view the economic collapse as more threatening. "I’m going to make a radical statement here. This is hard to say without stirring somebody up, but truthfully, I’d rather personally get sick and even die, if that’s what it takes," Hagar said.
"We have to save the world and this country from this economic thing that's going to kill more people in the long run. I would rather see everyone go back to work. If some of us have to sacrifice on that, OK," he added. “I’m not going to go around spreading the disease. But there may be a time where we have to sacrifice. I mean, how many people die on the Earth every day? I have no idea. I’m sorry to say it, but we all gotta die, man," he concluded his statement.
Needless to say, it triggered a lot of angry reactions on social media, with many people slamming the Van Halen frontman for his remarks. "Fortunately, Sammy haggar has no say in things. What a tool he is," one wrote. While others wondered if Haggar had been canceled: "Did we cancel Sammy Hagar? Trying to keep up." Taking note of the 'sacrifice' Haggar mentioned, a user wrote: "What a coincidence! I'm willing to sacrifice Sammy Haggar for any number of causes that I believe in!"
On Thursday afternoon (June 25), the 72-year-old musician shared a letter on Instagram to put his statement into context. "Hey, Sammy here. Earlier in the week, Rolling Stone ran a compilation piece from their Quarantine Q&A series," the letter began. "I did that interview a month and a half ago, things change very fast right now, so I wanted to clarify and put a few things into context now," he noted.
"I did that interview May 8th when we were already several weeks into the stay-at-home, which my family and I took very seriously, and things were starting to look up, the curve was beginning flattening. So when I was asked if I’d be comfortable enough to get back on stage before a vaccine was out, I was cautiously optimistic. I said, 'Yeah, not too soon. I want to make sure it’s not escalating. When it’s declining and seems to be going away,'" he wrote.
Hagar went on to address the "big picture," by saying, "It’s about getting back to work in a safe and responsible way and getting this economy rolling again. I will do my part. I stand by that. I employ 200 people directly and when we tour even more." He continued, "Like everything today, it’s a watch and see over the next few months but we remain cautiously optimistic that with the right improvements and safety measures in place, we might be able to play shows this year."
"That said, as things change, for the better or worse, we will appropriately adjust our plans," he concluded.
Fans were very supportive of Hagar and understood what he meant. "Everything has become so politically correct that a simple and objective phrase just turns into a massive storm. Don't worry mate, we got what you meant!" an Instagram follower said, while another wrote, "So frustrating when words get twisted by the media posts. You're the best Sammy! I hope you guys can play shows too. Those who still don't feel safe certainly can opt out this year IF you do get out there. 🤞"
One fan said, "It seems that Nothing we can say or do is etched in stone. Keep the faith and keep pondering🥪🤔"