Glenn Frey, Guitarist and Co-Founder of the Eagles Dies
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- Category: Celebrity News, Interviews, Pictures
- Published on Tuesday, 19 January 2016 11:38
- Written by Janet Walker
Glenn Frey, a name synonymous with rock and roll, co-founder of the legendary Eagles rock band has died due to post-surgical complications from degenerative intestinal issues that plagued the guitarist for most of his career. He was 67.
A fixture in the 1970’s and long after the break up in 1980, the music of the Eagles was a sweet cool breeze on a summer’s night. Music of a generation, the heyday of the rock and roll era, poignant storytellers, invokers of a midnight fantasy, the Eagles sound crafted many a person’s vision of life, created familiar from unknown, made the awkward cool and easy.
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A Peaceful Easy feeling, Tequila Sunrise, Hotel California – no additional words needed. Memories personalized.
Frey along with Don Henley met in 1970 in Los Angeles with the same goal of leaving an imprint on the world through music. The two were hired along with Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon as a backup band for a single gig.
Frey and Henley were later booked for Ronstadt’s summer 1971 tour. After the tour the original four, Frey, Henley, Mesiner and Leadon formed the Eagles and went on to become one of the most recognized and successful bands in modern history. The words, which told of days, times, seasons and events, of the desert and the mystic of California, become cemented in the American psyche.
The band was due to receive the John F. Kennedy Lifetime Award for Artistic Achievement at the December 2015 Kennedy Center Honors. Frey’s intestinal issues, upcoming surgery and lengthy recovering time were cited as the band’s reason for postponement.
The three remaining band members will receive the honor as was the plans to honor the entire band who had personified a musical era when after Frey completed his recovery.
Frey died due to post-surgical complications in New York City. He is survived by his wife Cindy Millican and three children, a daughter Taylor, and two sons, Deacon and Otis. His extended family band mates, Don Henley, Randy Meisner, Joe Walsh, Bernie Leadon and longtime manager Irving Azoff.
Don Henley, fellow bandmate, vocalist and drummer, issued this 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."
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"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."
Henley continued, "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."
