OPINION | This article contains commentary that reflects the author's opinion.
Eagles founding member Randy Meisner has passed away at age 77 from complications related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The Eagles released two of the most popular albums of all time, “Hotel California” and “Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975).”
The Eagles are known for a number of hit singles, including “Take It Easy,” “Desperado,” “Hotel California” and “Life In the Fast Lane.”
Randy Meisner, founding member of the Eagles, dead at 77 https://t.co/sbFNux1CmF pic.twitter.com/UXBx2hU0Xd
— New York Post (@nypost) July 27, 2023
In a statement from the band, they said, “Randy was an integral part of the Eagles and instrumental in the early success of the band. His vocal range was astonishing, as is evident on his signature ballad, ‘Take It to the Limit.’”
Randy’s former bandmate Don Fedler described him as “the sweetest man in the music business.”
“Meisner, who was from Nebraska, had been ill and homesick during the ‘Hotel California’ tour with his first marriage falling apart and was reluctant to be in the spotlight for ‘Take It to the Limit,’ a showcase for his nasally tenor,” the report said.
“His objections during a Knoxville, Tennessee, concert in the summer of 1977 so angered Frey that the two argued backstage, and Meisner left the band soon after. His replacement, Timothy B. Schmit, remained with the group over the following decades, along with Henley, Walsh and Frey, who died in 2016,” the report added.
In 1981, Meisner said, “I could have tripled my money if I’d stayed. But I was just tired of the touring. It’s a crazy life that you live at twice the normal speed. When it got to the point of sanity or money … I thought I’d rather have sanity.”
RIP Randy Meisner.
The Eagles had some great ones, but he wrote a song that you could have sworn only Tom Waits could.
Take it to the Limit (1975) pic.twitter.com/h8xHQOQae6
— Danny Deraney (@DannyDeraney) July 28, 2023
Meisner moved on with a solo career after leaving the Eagles.
He married his high school sweetheart, Jennifer Lee Barton, in 1963, and had three children.
The pair divorced in 1981 and he married Lana Rae in November 1996. She passed away in 2016.
Randy Meisner, the bassist and founding member of the Eagles who sang lead vocal on the band’s first big hit, “Take It to the Limit,” has died. He was 77 https://t.co/y7ej9NQ9Jl pic.twitter.com/g8rQ1UHlB4
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 27, 2023
Referring to the Eagles’ legacy, Meisner said, “It’s just good to know that kids nowadays are listening to it. It’s long-standing music. They’re good songs.”
“The lyrics are really good and the way that they were produced and the way that we played them. That’s why on ‘Hotel California’ we were so precise and wanting to make it so perfect. We made sure we got it so good.”
