Eagles founding member Randy Meisner dies at 77
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Singer Randy Meisner, co-founder of rock band the Eagles and best known for his high-tenor notes in the 1976 hit “Take It to the Limit,” died Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 77. Meisner died of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a statement posted on the band’s website Thursday.
“Randy was an integral part of the Eagles and instrumental in the early success of the band,” the message read, praising his “astonishing” vocal range.
In 1971, Meisner created the Eagles together with Glenn Frey, Don Henley and Bernie Leadon, and contributed to albums including “Desperado,” “On the Border,” “One of These Nights,” and the 1976 “Hotel California” — best known for its iconic title song.
“Meisner co-wrote some of the band’s most enduring hits, including their first million-seller ‘Take it to the Limit’ and ‘Try and Love Again,’” the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted the Eagles in 1998, wrote on Twitter. “Meisner’s high harmonies are instantly recognizable and cherished by Eagles fans around the world.”
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But he never enjoyed the spotlight, telling Rolling Stone in 2013 that he “was always kind of shy.” He left the band following a disagreement with fellow bandmate Frey at a concert in summer 1977, according to the Associated Press.
Meisner went on to perform as a solo artist, with the hits “Hearts on Fire” and “Deep Inside My Heart.”
His fellow Eagles co-founder, guitarist and composer Frey died in 2016 at 67.
Born in Scottsbluff, Neb., on March 8, 1946, Meisner performed with groups including Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band and country-rock group Poco, before co-founding the Eagles.
According to the AP, Meisner married twice and had three children. His second wife, Lana Meisner, died in an accidental shooting in 2016.
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Source: The Washington Post
