Eagles‘ co-founder, guitarist, and songwriter Glenn Frey died on Monday, January 18th in New York City. A statement announcing Frey’s passing was posted to Eagles.com attributed to Frey’s wife Cindy, daughter Taylor, and sons Deacon and Otis, and the current members of the Eagles — co-founders Don Henley and Bernie Leadon with Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, and their manager Irving Azoff.
The statement reads in part:
“Glenn fought a courageous battle for the past several weeks but, sadly, succumbed to complications from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Acute Ulcerative Colitis and Pneumonia. The Frey family would like to thank everyone who joined Glenn to fight this fight and hoped and prayed for his recovery. Words can neither describe our sorrow, nor our love and respect for all that he has given to us, his family, the music community & millions of fans worldwide.”
Frey’s songwriting partner Don Henley spoke lovingly of his late friend in a prepared statement:
“He was like a brother to me; we were family, and like most families, there was some dysfunction. But, the bond we forged 45 years ago was never broken, even during the 14 years that the Eagles were dissolved. We were two young men who made the pilgrimage to Los Angeles with the same dream: to make our mark in the music industry — and with perseverance, a deep love of music, our alliance with other great musicians and our manager, Irving Azoff, we built something that has lasted longer than anyone could have dreamed. But, Glenn was the one who started it all. He was the spark plug, the man with the plan. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music and a work ethic that wouldn’t quit. He was funny, bullheaded, mercurial, generous, deeply talented and driven. He loved his wife and kids more than anything. We are all in a state of shock, disbelief and profound sorrow. We brought our two-year History Of The Eagles Tour to a triumphant close at the end of July and now he is gone. I’m not sure I believe in fate, but I know that crossing paths with Glenn Lewis Frey in 1970 changed my life forever, and it eventually had an impact on the lives of millions of other people all over the planet. It will be very strange going forward in a world without him in it. But, I will be grateful, every day, that he was in my life. Rest in peace, my brother. You did what you set out to do, and then some.”
We spoke to one of Frey’s oldest friends, the great Bob Seger, who as expected, is overwhelmed by the news of Frey’s death, describing him to us as being like his “little brother.” Seger, who co-wrote the Eagles’ last Number One hit, “Heartache Tonight,” spoke lovingly about his buddy from back home in Detroit: “I knew him 50 years, he was brilliant. He was a classically trained pianist; the chords you hear on ‘The Last Resort’ and on ‘Desperado’ — that’s him playing the piano. He wrote those chords. Henley probably wrote the bulk of the lyrics, but that’s Glenn. He was a brilliant pianist, classically trained since he was a very young kid. He was (laughs) a joy to be around. I looked forward to seein’ him — I didn’t see him all that much over the last 50 years, ’cause he was busy, I was busy, but when I did, it was memorable (laughs), ’cause he had an amazing sense of humor, and just whip smart. Whip smart. And I don’t know how you quantify songwriting, but if you do it on the dollars and cents scale — he’s one of the most successful songwriters that ever lived.”
Seger told us that it’ll be rough without Glenn Frey: “Y’know, I’m gonna miss him like crazy. We would always get together whenever he came to Detroit. He was. . . He was a good kid. He was a really good kid. I never thought I’d outlive him. I really feel bad for doin’ that, ’cause he should’ve lived longer.”
The first sign that Glenn Frey was in ill health came in November when it was announced that his upcoming intestinal surgery would push back the Eagles’ 2015 Kennedy Center Honors until the following year, due to his suffering a recurrence of “previous intestinal issues, which will require major surgery and a lengthy recovery period.” In 1990, Frey underwent surgery to remove a large part of his large intestines. His intestinal troubles have blocked several other Eagles events over the years; back in 1986 stomach issues prevented Frey from reuniting with Don Henley at a rare post-split benefit appearance in California, and the group’s 1995 Hell Freezes Over reunion tour was thrown off track while Frey dealt with diverticulitis.
Glenn Frey, who co-founded the Eagles in 1971 with Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner, will be remembered as one of the most important and consistent hitmakers of the 1970’s for the songs he wrote with Henley, and often in conjunction with his pre-fame duo partner, J.D. Souther. Frey co-wrote such era defining tunes as “Tequila Sunrise,” “Desperado,” “Best Of My Love,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “Take It To The Limit,” “One Of These Nights,” “Hotel California,” “New Kid In Town,” “Life In The Fast Lane,” “Victim Of Love,” “Heartache Tonight,” “I Can’t Tell You Why,” and “The Long Run” — along with the band’s signature hit, “Take It Easy,” which he wrote with Jackson Browne. Like the Beatles, the Eagles shined featuring two distinct lead voices, with Henley and Frey divvying up their catalogue to suit each other’s vocals.
- Born on November 6th, 1948 in Detroit, Michigan, Frey had been playing in bands in and around the Motor City for years — and nearly permanently joined forces in the late-’60s with Bob Seger. He made his way out to L.A. not for a shot at stardom, but as a last-ditch effort to reunite with his ex-girlfriend who had moved west to become a singer. He soon teamed up with J.D. Souther to form the short-lived duo, Longbranch Pennywhistle, who released one album in 1969 on the Amos label. Frey soon met his musical fate while he and the rest of the soon-to-be Eagles backed Linda Ronstadt for a 1971 summer tour. The Eagles originally split in 1980 and reformed in 1994 and have toured the world regularly ever since.
- The Eagles’ last collection, 2007’s Long Road Out Of Eden, was the band’s sixth chart-topper and was the highest selling album of the year. To date, it has sold over 3.5 million copies in the U.S. alone.
- With the Eagles, Frey earned six Grammy Awards, and with the band and on his own, landed 24 singles in the Top 40 — including the chart-toppers “Best Of My Love,” “One Of These Nights,” “New Kid In Town,” “Hotel California,” and “Heartache Tonight.”
- The Eagles, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, have sold over 120 million albums globally. The Eagles’ 1976 compilation, Their Greatest Hits, 1971-1975is the second best selling album of all time with sales of 29 million — only one million behind Michael Jackson‘s Thriller.
- Henley and Frey were induced into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000.
- Following the Eagles’ 1980 split, Frey’s solo career initially boomed, teaming up with Eagles songwriter Jack Tempchin for a string of Top 40 hits — including the 1985 Top Two hit, “You Belong To The City” which was featured on the soundtrack to Miami Vice, “Smuggler’s Blues” — which inspired an episode of the NBC cop drama — and kicked off an acting career for Frey, who was featured in a notable cameo in Cameron Crowe‘s 1996 film Jerry McGuire. Frey also scored a Top Two hit in ’85 with a tune he didn’t write — “The Heat Is On” — as featured in the classic Eddie Murphy comedy, Beverly Hills Cop.
- In 2012, Frey released his first solo album in nearly 20 years, the standards collection, After Hours. The set, which was long awaited followup to Frey’s last album, 1992’s Strange Weather, featured a string of American classics — but stretched the “American Songbook” genre to include songs through the 1960’s, including Burt Bacharach & Hal David‘s “The Look Of Love” and Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys‘ Pet Sounds closer, “Caroline, No.”
- In 2013 the Eagles released History Of The Eagles Part 1 & 2, the band’s three-hour documentary. The three-disc set includes the bonus disc, Eagles Live At The Capital Centre – March 1977, featuring never-before-released performances from the band’s two-night stand at Washington, D.C.’s Capital Center during the legendary Hotel California tour.
- In 2014 he inducted Linda Ronstadt into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Eagles — with special guest Bernie Leadon — toured the world throughout 2013, 2014, and 2015.
FRIENDS & FANS REMEMBER GLENN FREY
Brian Wilson: “I was shocked to hear about Glenn Frey passing away — it was a real blow to hear. The Eagles had so many great songs and Glenn was such a big part of it. Anyone who’s been in the business has to admire everything he and his band accomplished. Love & Mercy to Glenn’s family tonight.”
Ringo Starr: “God bless Glenn Frey peace and love to all his family and friends.”
Carole King: “R.I.P. Glenn Frey. Deepest condolences to his family and Eagles.”
Mike Love: “Of all the groups we’ve had the pleasure and privilege of sharing the stage with over the years, The Eagles from my perspective is at the top of my most cherished memories. Glenn Frey was and will always be a unique talent whose vision and creativity contributed significantly to the great sound of The Eagles’ music. Glenn was a constant force of creativity whether as a solo artists or group member. Glenn wasn’t afraid to step outside of the ‘box’ so to speak. This attitude allowed Glen to stretch his creativity past music and into acting. I for one was and will always be appreciative of Glenn’s kind words about The Beach Boys music; it was always humbling to hear. We’ve lost a great talent today, but we will treasure his gift of music for many lifetimes to come! Rest in Peaceful music Glenn, I can hear the chords of your guitar playing. Peace & Love”
Al Jardine: “Rest in peace, Glenn. . . thank you for your amazing music”
America: “Say it ain’t so… this is so very hard. We mourn the passing of Glenn.”
Paul Stanley: “SHOCKED to report the death of GLENN FREY. Eagle & brilliant songwriter. We shared some memories at RRHOF. Shocked. Our condolences to friends and family. Rest In Peace.”
Gene Simmons: “Glenn Fry — our condolences to friends and family. Rest In Peace.”
Ted Nugent: “Godspeed Glen Frey my MotorCity BloodBrother. ThankU for the enriching soundtrack.”
Micky Dolenz: “Joining the heavenly band. . . RIP Glenn Frey. . .”
Meat Loaf: “People I respect and love are just leaving us too fast. Now we have Lost Glenn Frey who was a member of the Eagles. The Eagles released my favorite album of all time Hotel California. His talent will be missed. We also lost a magnificent actor and true human being Alan Rickman who was in all the Harry Potter films plus gave amazing performances many of his 50 plus other films. My heart has been broken with the loss of so much great talent. Please remember both of them for the Great contributions they have given all of us and the entertainment world. Again, They will soar on Wings like Eagles”
Olivia Newton-John: “I’m so sad to hear of the loss of the talented Glenn Frey. The Eagles played a great part in my love of music.”
Huey Lewis: “Glenn Frey. I’m shocked. A brilliant songwriter and a really good guy. Talented, funny, cynical and sweet.”
Steve Martin: “Shocker. My friend from the early days, and important member of Eagles, has died. We loved you, Glenn Frey. . . Glenn once asked me ‘what do you think of the name ‘Eagles?’ I said ‘The Eagles. Great.’ He said ‘no, Eagles.’ The group is ‘Eagles.'”
Dave Navarro: “The Eagles helped shape my understanding of music when I was going up..”
Nikki Sixx: “R.I.P. Glen Frey.Thank you for all the great songs and powerful lyrics. Jesus can the reaper please take break for awhile.”
Vince Neil: “Terrible news. Another legend lost. Rip Glen Frey so much talent lost.”
Sheryl Crow: “Glenn Frey, you will be sorely missed. Thank you for all you gave us.”
Stephen King: “So sorry to hear about the passing of Glenn Frey. Great songwriter, great musician, great talent.”
Zakk Wylde: “GOD BLESS GLENN FREY — 1948 – 2016”
Rob Zombie: “F***”
Questlove Gomez: “sigh. Glenn Frey belongs to the city still. damn man. all these legends man. . .”
Martha Quinn: “Heartache today. Eagle Glenn Frey has passed away. RIP”
Scott Ian: “Oh man. Glenn Frey. Damn it. RIP.”
Carson Daly: “So sad to hear of the passing of Glenn Frey. I had the great pleasure of knowing him and he was beyond gracious. Praying for his family. RIP”
Travis Tritt: “I’m so shocked and saddened to learn that Glenn Frey has died. He was always so nice to me. This is devastating!”
Brad Paisley: “So saddened and shocked by the loss of Glenn Frey. Thank you for the music that paved the way for so many others.”
Richard Lewis: “RIP Glenn Frey. It seems like forever that the Eagles music coincided with my entire adult life. Say it ain’t so.”
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: “Man bummed to hear about this. Grateful for the brilliance he created. Thank you brother.”
Rob Lowe: “Glen Frey created the soundtrack of my life and was one of the nicest men I’ve ever met. Devastated.”
Ryan Adams: “RIP, Glenn Frey. Travel to the stars safely, bro.”
