DO YOU KNOW DAVID LEE ROTH, ROCKSTAR AND SECRET EMT?

Born in Indiana and raised in California, Roth began martial arts at age 12.

Roth joined Alex and Eddie Van Halen in the mid-1970s to form Van Halen. His soaring vocals and hyper-athletic showmanship helped launch the band into one of the biggest rock acts on the planet.

In the 1980s, Roth trained in Kenpo karate under Ed Parker (the legendary master who also trained Elvis Presley). Parker and Kenpo master Frank Trejo actually helped choreograph the martial arts moves seen in Van Halen’s historic "Jump" music video. Roth even dedicated the track to champion kickboxer Benny “The Jet” Urquidez.

Roth built a dedicated kendo hall inside his Pasadena home (which he dubbed the Mojo Dojo). Even into his later years, his routine included 7:00 AM Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu sessions followed immediately by Portuguese language lessons.

After decades of rock ‘n’ roll fame, Roth wanted to do something meaningful, something completely apart from his fame and ego. He decided to cut his hair, get trained, and go undercover as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in New York City.

Riding with ambulance crews in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Harlem, Roth responded to more than 200 individual calls. During this time he used a defibrillator to successfully shock the heart of a Bronx woman, saving her life.

With the shorter hair and EMT uniform, no one recognized him.

Roth later reflected on the experience, noting that he "wasn't someone" until his first EMT call. “A white-boy rock star thinks, 'What, this is an easy gig?’ Humor is your only weapon, your only life-preserver that you can give to somebody who thinks they're gonna die. Nobody calls 911 just to wish you happy Hanukkah."

Beyond music and medicine, Roth is an accomplished helicopter pilot, spent two years in Japan learning traditional sumi-e illustration, and speaks multiple languages.