Glenn Frey, Founding Member Of Eagles, Dead At 67
Glenn Frey, one of the four founding members of longstanding American rock band Eagles, died at the age of 67 on Monday, January 18. An official statement has been posted to the band’s website.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of husband, best friend, father, comrade, and Eagles founder, Glenn Frey, in New York City on Monday, January 18th, 2016,” the statement reads. “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, along with Don Henley, Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon, came together in 1971 as Linda Rondstadt‘s backing band. Following just one show with fellow Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Rondstadt, the four men set off together and released their self-titled debut album the following year, which produced the hits “Take It Easy,” “Witchy Woman” and “Peaceful Easy Feeling.”
Throughout their lengthy career, the Eagles have released seven albums, won six Grammys and charted five #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 — “Best Of My Love,” “One Of These Nights,” “New Kid In Town,” “Hotel California” and “Heartache Tonight.”
The band was widely known for its in-fighting throughout the 1970s, and following a split in 1980 that lasted 14 years, Frey released solo material that included 1984 hit “The Heat Is On” and 1985’s “You Belong To The City,” both of which charted at #2.
“He was like a brother to me,” Frey’s bandmate Don Henley said in a statement today (January 18). “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.”
The Eagles’ first collection of singles Their Greatest Hits (1971 – 1975) was released nearly 40 years ago, in February 1976, and to-date has been certified 29 times Platinum. The only album that has bested it in the United States is Michael Jackson‘s 30 million-seller Thriller.
