Alex Van Halen writes “I literally owe my life to Stine, my wife of almost 30 years,” in his new memoir “Brothers”, out now.

People.com reports the 71-year-old says his wife Stine Schyberg saved his life after developing a drug addiction while Van Halen's Balance Tour in '95. The drummer suffered a vertebral injury in the ‘70s and when the Balance Tour began, he became addicted to painkillers to deal with neck pain and sleeping issues.

“I owe that woman my life. She loved me enough — and was strong enough — to say, ‘I’m out of here,’ when she saw me slipping into addiction,” he writes. “I can still see her walking out the door with our cat in a box.”

He goes on to write, “Losing Stine was the only price I wasn’t willing to pay for the drug. Once I make my mind up about something, there’s no stopping me. With Stine I was able to carve out a home, a zone that had nothing to do with work or fame. Ed [Eddie Van Halen, Alex’s brother] was never able to create that.”

Alex Van Halen held a signing session for his new memoir, “Brothers”, at Barnes & Noble in New York City, NY. Video can be seen below.

 

My favourite drummer of all time. I could cry. Thank you Alex Van Halen! pic.twitter.com/t6HGrupIBr

— Jeremy White (@JeremyWhiteMTL) October 21, 2024

 

Alex Van Halen's new memoir, "Brothers", is released today. As an exclusive bonus, fans who order direct from Van Halen Store will receive their exclusive photo print collection of the young Van Halen brothers (four 4" x 6" photos, suitable for framing). Order here.

 

In this intimate and open account - nothing like any rock-and-roll memoir you've ever read - Alex Van Halen shares his personal story of family, friendship, music, and brotherly love in a remarkable tribute to his beloved brother and bandmate.

Told with acclaimed New Yorker writer Ariel Levy, Brothers is seventy-year-old drummer Alex Van Halen's love letter to his younger brother, Edward (Maybe "Ed," but never "Eddie"), written while still mourning his untimely death.

In his rough yet sweet voice, Alex recounts the brothers' childhood, first in the Netherlands and then in working-class Pasadena, California, with an itinerant musician father and a very proper Indonesian-born mother—the kind of mom who admonished her boys to "always wear a suit" no matter how famous they became—a woman who was both proud and practical, nonchalant about taking a doggie bag from a star-studded dinner. He also shares tales of musical politics, infighting, and plenty of bad-boy behavior. But mostly, his is a story of brotherhood, music, and enduring love.

"I was with him from day one," Alex writes. "We shared the experience of coming to this country and figuring out how to fit in. We shared a record player, an 800-square-foot house, a mom and dad, and a work ethic. Later, we shared the back of a tour bus, alcoholism, the experience of becoming famous, of becoming fathers and uncles, and of spending more hours in the studio than I've spent doing anything else in this life. We shared a depth of understanding that most people can only hope to achieve in a lifetime.”

There has never been an accurate account of them or the band, and Alex wants to set the record straight on Edward's life and death.

"Brothers" includes never-before-seen photos from the author's private archive.

"A chronicle of family and talent and the passion to create ... the definitive take on Edward Van Halen's life and death from the one who knew and loved him best." - Brothers editor, Sara Nelson

The full 6-minute version of "Unfinished", the final song that Edward and Alex Van Halen wrote together is now available for download at Van-Halen.com.

The song is featured in the audiobook version of Alex Van Halen's new memoir, Brothers. Listen to "Unfinished" below: