“It’s with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our comrade,” The Eagles’ statement read. The band quickly shared a tribute to Glenn after news of his death broke on Jan. 18. The Eagles shared a heartfelt statement of loss on their website, saying that Glenn’s death left them without the words to accurately “describe our sorrow, nor our love and respect for all that he has given us.”
The Eagles’ Statement:
It’s with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our comrade, Eagles founder, Glenn Frey, in New York City on Monday, January 18th, 2016. 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.
The message was signed by Glenn’s family – Cindy Frey, Taylor Frey, Deacon Frey and Otis Frey – as well as his former and current band members: Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, Bernie Leadon and Irving Azoff. Glenn’s passing is another sad death of 2016, which has seen the passing of such icons as David Bowie, Alan Rickman and more.
Glenn passed away after a long battle with a multitude of diseases, including complications from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Acute Ulcerative Colitis and Pneumonia. Sadly, Glenn had been dealing with internal issues for a while, but a recent relapse forced the band to pull out of their Kennedy Center Honors appearance in Dec. 2015. You can relive all of Glen’s hits by .
Glenn co-founded the band in 1971, along with Don, Bernie and Randy Meisner. They would go on to release five number-one singles, win six Grammy Awards and have two of the 20 best-selling albums in the United States – Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) and Hotel California. As a guitarist and vocalist for the band, Glenn sang on such classic rock staples as “Lyin’ Eyes,” “New Kid In Town,” and “Take It Easy.”
Our thoughts are with Glenn’s family, friends and band mates during this time of loss.