Excellent post, and that is sad.
Personally, i despise the Van Hagar era, as it is completely the opposite of what classic VH represented.
Ed was successful with Sammy, and that is a high achievement, but he sold his rock 'n roll soul to do it. It cost him the respect of more than a few fans, and sort of started an EVH backlash that continues to this day.
5150 was a heartbreaking record, it literally almost made me cry upon first listen.
But this was about Dave....
I slam the DLR of today as being desperate & bitter, just a cranky shadow of the former showstopper.
But to see the old footage & the old pictures and magazine articles, i feel nothing but love for this guy. Man, he was a freaking diamond!
He was just the best guy for this band, and it must have been destiny.
No one could front a band like Dave.