David Lee Roth, former frontman of storied rock act Van Halen, is taking up a new trade. The 50-year-old singer has been riding for several weeks with a New York ambulance crew in training to become a paramedic, the New York Post reports.
“I have been on over 200 individual rides now,” said Roth. “Not once has anyone recognized me, which is perfect for me.”
Roth spent a decade with Van Halen before embarking on a solo career and briefly reunited with the band for two new songs on a 1996 greatest hits album. He has been riding along with ambulance crews in the Bronx, Manhattan and Brooklyn several nights a week.
His training seems to be going well. Several weeks ago, Roth saved the life of a heart attack victim in the Bronx by using a defibrillator.
He takes his work so seriously that he did not want publicity so as to not “diminish what I am trying to do here.”
“You would never know you were dealing with a rock’n’roll guy,” said Linda Reissman, Roth’s EMS consultant and tutor. “His commitment really is touching. He wants to help people.” Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.