Randy Meisner was the first bassist and vocalist of the Eagles, one of the fastest-selling bands in rock history, with such iconic titles as Hotel California, Take It Easy and One of These Nights. At 77, he died in Los Angeles on Wednesday July 26, following complications related to a chronic lung disease, announced Thursday a press release on the site of the American group.
A founding member of the band, “Randy was an integral part of Eagles and was instrumental in the band’s early success,” the statement said. His vocal range was astonishing, as evidenced by his signature ballad, Take It to the Limit.
The group has sold over 150 million albums over a half-century career, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Pioneers of laid-back, country-tinged rock from the West Coast , Eagles dominated early 1970s American pop, seeing its membership change over the decades. Glenn Frey, founding member, died in 2016 at the age of 67.
Born into a Nebraska farming family in March 1946, Randy Meisner had played with Ricky Nelson and Poco’s Stone Canyon Band before co-founding Eagles. The musician, who had left the formation at the end of the 1970s and had been replaced by Timothy B. Schmit, was not to participate in the last tour, which will begin in September in New York and should continue until 2025. line-up will consist of Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit.
