Randy Meisner, founding member of the Eagles, dies at 77

 

 

Randy Meisner, founding member of the Eagles, dies at 77

Randy Meisner, a founding member of the Eagles who supplied high harmonies to hits like "Take It Easy" and "The Best of My Love" and sang lead on the waltz-time ballad "Take It to the Limit," died Thursday, the band announced.

The Eagles stated in a statement that Meisner died Wednesday night in Los Angeles of complications from chronic obstructive lung disease. He was 77.

The bassist has suffered with a number of illnesses in recent years, as well as a personal tragedy in 2016 when his wife, Lana Rae Meisner, accidently shot herself and died. Meanwhile, Randy Meisner was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had major drinking difficulties, according to court papers and remarks made during a 2015 hearing in which a judge ordered Meisner to get continuous medical treatment.

Former bandmate Don Felder referred to Meisner as "the sweetest man in the music business" when he joined Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Bernie Leadon in the early 1970s to form a typical Los Angeles band and one of the most popular groups in history.

"Randy was an integral part of the Eagles and instrumental in the early success of the band," the Eagles stated in a statement. "His vocal range was astounding, as evidenced by 'Take It to the Limit,' his signature ballad."

Over the next decade, the Eagles transitioned from country music to hard rock, releasing a string of successful songs and albums, beginning with "Take It Easy" and continuing with "Desperado," "Hotel California," and "Life In the Fast Lane," among others. Despite being chastised by many critics as slick and superficial, the Eagles released two of the most popular albums of all time, "Hotel California" and "Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)," which the Recording Industry Association of America ranked alongside Michael Jackson's "Thriller" with 38 million sales as the no.1 seller.

The Eagles, led by singer-songwriters Henley and Frey, were first marketed as "mellow" and "easy listening." By their third album, "On the Border," released in 1974, they had recruited a rock guitarist, Felder, and were moving away from country and bluegrass.

Leadon, a traditional bluegrass picker, was dissatisfied with the new sound and quit after 1975's "One of These Nights." (He was replaced by Joe Walsh, another rock guitarist.) Meisner continued on until the band's most renowned record, "Hotel California," was released in 1976, but then left. Ironically, his resignation was precipitated by the song he co-wrote and was most known for, "Take It to the Limit."


Meisner, a bashful Nebraskan caught between celebrity and family life, had been unwell and homesick throughout the "Hotel California" tour (his first marriage was dissolving) and was hesitant to be the centre of attention for "Take It to the Limit," a showcase for his nasally tenor. During a June 1977 concert in Knoxville, Tennessee, his criticisms enraged Frey, and the two clashed backstage before Meisner fled. His replacement, Timothy B. Schmit, stayed with the band for decades, as did Henley, Walsh, and Frey, who died in 2016.