David Lee Roth Says He’s Retiring After Las Vegas Shows in Early 2022: ‘I’m Throwing in the Shoes’

David Lee Roth will soon be stepping away from the spotlight.

The former Van Halen singer, 66, announced that he’s retiring during an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday (Oct. 1), noting that his musical career will end with five concerts at Las Vegas’ House of Blues at Mandalay Bay in early January.

“I am throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring,” Roth said. “This is the first, and only, official announcement. You’ve got the news. Share it with the world.”

The iconic frontman added, “I’m not going to explain the statement. The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows.”

Billboard has reached out to Roth’s representatives for further comment.

Roth is scheduled to perform at House of Blues in Las Vegas between Dec. 31 and Jan. 8, 2022. Tickets are currently on sale on Ticketmaster here.

After leaving Van Halen, Roth was one of the highest profile rock stars of the mid 1980s. At the second annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1985, he had two of the five nominees for video of the year — “California Girls” and “Just a Gigolo”/”I Ain’t Got Nobody.” (The award went to Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer.”)

During the interview, Roth also reflected on the passing of his former bandmate Eddie Van Halen, who died from cancer in October 2020.

“I thought I might have been the first, frankly,” Roth said, adding that he regularly speaks with Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen. “I might have thought the Marlboro Man would’ve got me. Hey Ed, objects in the rear-view mirror are probably me. And my doctors, my handlers, compelled me to really address that every time I go on stage, I endanger that future.”

Roth concluded the conversation by saying, “I’ve given you all I’ve got to give. It’s been an amazing, great run, no regrets, nothing to say about anybody. I’ll miss you all. Stay frosty.”