Due to lingering and unresolved illnesses, Glenn Frey, a founding member of The Eagles, passed away January 18. Frey was 67 when he succumbed to a combination of health problems.
His death was announced on The Eagle's website. The website released the following official statement: "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's health issues have impacted his group's scheduled performances. The Eagles were forced to cancel their appearance in the "Kennedy Center Honor" and planned to move it in 2016. They were supposed to appear along with other luminaries such as singer and songwriter Carole King, conductor Seiji Ozawa, actress Cicely Tyson and moviemaker George Lucas in the Dec. 6, 2015 event.
Frey was instrumental in the band's creation of big hits like "Hotel California," Already Gone," and "Take It Easy." He has suffered from a recurrence of previous intestinal problems requiring major surgery together with a lengthy period of recovery. This forced the band to cancel several public appearances last year.
Frey was fighting his health issues since the 1980s. He believed that these problems were the result of the reckless activities he did during the band's heyday when they were freely doing booze and drugs.
Because of his intestinal issues, Frey missed a concert reunion with Don Hanley, his longtime Eagles band mate. The band even thought of reforming their group in the 1990s but had to drop the project because Frey needed surgical operations on his intestines.
For the past couple of weeks, Frey was still fighting for his life. But complications from acute ulcerative colitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and pneumonia took their toll. He was a co-writer of the hits "Tequila Sunrise," "Lyin' Eyes," and "Desperado."
