Eagles vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Glenn Frey passed away today in New York City from complications related to rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia. He had been ill for several weeks.
Frey was born in 1948 in Detroit, Michigan. He studied keyboards and began playing around the Detroit scene in the mid-’60s in bands such as The Subterraneans and The Four of Us. In 1967, his band, The Mushrooms, recorded a single written for them by Bob Seger. In 1968 he appeared on acoustic guitar and background vocals on Seger’s “Ramblin’ Man.” He moved to Los Angeles in the late ’60s and began meeting Southern California musicians/songwriters including J.D. Souther and Jackson Browne.
In 1970, Frey, Don Henley, Randy Meisner, and Bernie Leadon became the backup group for Linda Ronstadt (at the recommendation of her boyfriend at the time, J.D. Souther). The band went out on their own as “Eagles” after Ronstadt’s Silk Purse tour, releasing their first album in 1972. During their career, they achieved huge success and eventually became one of the most popular and best-selling acts in the world. Eagles disbanded in 1980, then reunited in 1994, continuing to tour as recently as 2013 and releasing their most recent album, Long Road out of Eden in 2007. A two-part documentary on the band, History of the Eagles, was released in 2013. The film received an Emmy for Outstanding Sound Mixing For Nonfiction Programming.
Frey wrote or co-wrote many of Eagles hits and also sang lead on many of the band’s most popular songs, including “Take It Easy,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” “Already Gone,” “Tequila Sunrise,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “New Kid in Town,” and “Heartache Tonight.” The band earned five No. 1 singles, six Grammy Awards, five American Music Awards, and six No. 1 albums. Two of their albums, Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) and Hotel California, were named to the list of the 20 best-selling albums in the U.S. by the RIAA. In total, Eagles sold more than 150 million albums, making them the best-selling American band in history. Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
During the time Eagles were apart, Frey placed two songs in soundtracks: “The Heat is On” (Beverly Hills Cop) and “You Belong to the City” (Miami Vice), hitting No. 2 on the charts with both. “Smuggler’s Blues,” also on the Miami Vice soundtrack, reached No. 12, and he charted an additional nine songs in the U.S. Top 100. His last solo release was 2012’s After Hours, his fifth solo studio album, which featured covers of standards from the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s. In addition to his solo recording career, Frey also achieved success as an actor, with a recurring role on Miami Vice and appearances in a number of TV shows and movies.