Sammy Hagar Reveals the Secret to His 30-Year Marriage: 'No Separate Bedrooms' (Exclusive)

Gillian TellingWed, June 3, 2026 at 11:50 PM UTC

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Kari and Sammy Hagar in Beverly Hills in February 2019Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty -

Sammy Hagar credits equality and passion as the keys to his 31-year marriage to wife Kari

The couple shares two daughters and emphasizes the importance of maintaining a strong physical and emotional connection

Hagar, 78, stays active with a summer tour and says his beach lifestyle helps him feel young

Sammy Hagar knows a thing or two about a happy, long-lasting marriage.

He's been married to his wife Kari Karte Hagar for 31 years, and says the secret to their success is a combination of equality and passion.

"I'll be serious about this because, you know, the first thing you say is, 'happy wife, happy life,' but one thing is that we're equals," Hagar, 78, tells PEOPLE. "We'll get into it like all couples, but we're always equal — there's no her under my thumb, or me under her thumb."

Hagar also stresses the importance of keeping the physical aspect of the relationship alive. The couple, who share two daughters, also still share a bedroom.

"I really think that you need passion in the relationship," he says. "We don't sleep in separate bedrooms, man. And when that's over, when you're not really still physically and emotionally attracted to your partner, I think that's a dangerous thing. You have to figure out how to keep that going. That's my opinion. Having a great physical and emotional relationship is so important."

Kari and Sammy Hagar in San Francisco in December 2013Credit: Maryanne Bilham/MNS/WireImage

Hagar first met Karte, now 56, at a mutual friend's birthday party in the '90s, after he was divorced from his first wife Betsi Barardi, whom he married in 1968 and divorced in 1994.

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"I met her and we saw each other again and again and after about the third time we just stayed together," Hagar said of meeting Karte. The pair were quickly inseparable, marrying on Nov. 29, 1995, in a private wedding ceremony.

Kari and Sammy Hagar in Los Angeles in 1994Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

The rocker and former Van Halen frontman isn't slowing down outside of the bedroom either — he's also embarking on his "Best of All Worlds" tour this summer, joined for eight dates by longtime pal Rick Springfield.

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Sammy and Kari Hagar in 1995Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Hagar says the secret to staying young is not thinking about his age — and forgoing shoes as much as possible.

"I'm a beach nut!" he tells PEOPLE.

"Man, you can't keep me off the beach. No shoes, no shirt, no problem, all that. My wife will say, 'Honey, please put on a t-shirt, we have people coming over.' I'm like fine I'll try. I call swim trunks my uniform."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”