David Lee Roth

There was no denying that David Lee Roth, the once and future frontman for Van Halen, was a fan favorite. When he debuted with the group in the early 1970s, Roth seemed a powerfully voiced, physically agile performer who captured audiences' imagination for the duration of a live performance, but with a wicked sense of humor and joie de vivre that stood in direct contrast to other frontmen in rock. Roth enjoyed the spotlight as it increased in intensity during Van Halen's original seven-year run, but by the mid-1980s, it became apparent that he was ready for his own stardom. In 2007, after some years of estrangement, Roth and Van Halen finally came together for a wildly popular North American tour, which found the singer in fine voice and still able to whip crowds into a frenzy as he approached his sixth decade. Throughout it all, for better or for worse, David Lee Roth remained one of rock's most magnetic performers.