Sammy Hagar said he respected Robert Plant for the “first-class” way in which he refused to take part in a Led Zeppelin tour following their one-off reunion show in 2007 featuring late drummer John Bonham’s son Jason.

The former Van Halen singer, whose current band the Circle includes Jason Bonham, also argued the case for believing that Jason was as good as John.

Led Zeppelin split soon after John Bonham’s death in 1980, saying that the band couldn’t continue without him. Last year, Jason Bonham revealed that he had asked Plant about tour rumors after the reunion show, and the singer had said it was never going to happen.

In a recent interview with Howard Stern on SiriusXM, Bonham said Plant told him, “What you know of your father is amazing. But what we said all those years ago, we would be idiotic to continue on and not stand with what we said. We’ve done this, we did the show, we don’t have to do it again. Let’s just leave it at that.”

Hagar noted "that’s a first-class way of saying it. ‘I’m not coming back.’ How many fighters, heavyweight champs, came back one too many times, all that stuff? We’re seeing so many people dying like flies in our business. … I’m looking around me, thinking there’s gotta be a time I’m not gonna do this anymore. I respect Robert so much for doing that. As much as I want to see Led Zeppelin more than you.”

On the subject of the Bonhams he said, “I’m probably going to get some hate mail … but I think Jason is as good as his dad, and his dad would want to hear that. John died way too young; and Jason’s had so much more experience, and he plays just like his dad. Just think about that.”

Bonham said he was “very happy” he received a Grammy for the 2012 DVD and CD release of the 2007 show, Celebration Day. “That was something my dad never got in this lifetime," he said. "And there’s never been any other drummer on any Led Zeppelin product other than John Bonham.”