DAVID LEE ROTH: EDDIE VAN HALEN 'Is Not Doing Well'

David Lee Roth has told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he decided resume his solo career with the launch of a Las Vegas residency in part because VAN HALEN's future remains under a cloud of uncertainty.

"Ed's [Van Halen] not doing well, and singing and dancing is a perishable skill," the VAN HALEN singer said. "If you have the capacity, it's something that has to be used routinely, if not for the thrill of it and the magic of creating with other incandescent spirits."

There have been a lot of rumors regarding the VAN HALEN guitarist's supposedly worsening health, with TMZ reporting recently that Van Halen has been traveling between the U.S. and Germany for cancer treatment going on several years now. The site later said that "the sad medical news had some folks thinking Eddie was on his death bed ... but we're told that's anything but the case."

Back in September, Roth said that there were no plans for VAN HALEN to do anything for the foreseeable future. "I think VAN HALEN's finished and this is the next phase," he said, referring to his solo project. "And that being said, Eddie's got his own story to tell. Not mine to tell it."

This past October, Eddie stopped by a McLaren dealership in Beverly Hills and mingled with the sales team, taking pictures and even giving one fan a kiss. A few days later, he was photographed at a spinal neurosurgeon's office in Beverly Hills.

A rep for Van Halen had no comment on TMZ's initial report when reached by Fox News.

Early last year, rumors were rampant that the classic-era lineup of VAN HALEN would reunite for the first time since 1984. It's unclear why the tour didn't happen, though there has been online chatter that a health setback involving Eddie Van Halen might have been responsible.

Last November, TMZ reported that Eddie spent several days in a hospital due to complications from his cancer treatment. Sources close to the legendary guitarist told the site he was admitted to the hospital with intestinal issues and abdominal pain, both the result of a bad reaction to the drugs Eddie was reportedly taking to battle throat cancer.