Perhaps one of the most iconic rock bands the music industry has ever known, The Eagles have blazed their musical trail and guaranteed their music to be worshipped as long as their are music connoisseurs. Formed in 1971, the band went on to sell over 150 million records, becoming the highest-selling American band in U.S. history. The group disbanded in 1980, only to reunite in the 90s and a small number of times for various albums and a riveting History Of The Eagles Tour in 2013. It was the heartbreaking death of band founder Glenn Frey that shook not only the band, but fans to their core for the loss of the man that was the mastermind behind the timeless group. Frey was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2000 and underwent surgery for an intestinal issue in 2015 where he was later placed in a medically induced coma in which the 67-year-old would never wake from.
Former band members Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, Randy Meisner, Don Felder, Timothy B. Schmidt, and Joe Walsh were shattered, mourning the tragic loss of their musical brother. While Frey’s death occurred in January of this year, fellow members have yet to stomach the heartbreaking loss, as Henley admitted to The Washington Post, “I don’t see how we could go out and play without the guy who started the band.” As fans have been curious and slightly hopeful at the idea of an Eagles reunion, the singer was direct in his standpoint on the former possibility.
“It would just seem like greed or something… It would seem like a desperate thing,” said Henley. Leadon shed some light on the band’s initial agenda during its formation, explaining, “When this band started, we said, ‘We want it all. Critical acclaim, artistic success, and financial success. It wasn’t like we want to make a pretty good album so our girlfriends like us. No, it was, ‘We want to be the best f—ing band there is.'”
The Eagles will be honored at the Kennedy Center Honors, an event that the band postponed due to Frey’s declining health. With appearances from Henley, Walsh, and Schmidt expected at the ceremony to receive their honors, it is sure to be a night of nostalgia and tears as Frey’s wife will be accepting his medallion on his behalf.
Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein issued a statement, saying, “These honorees represent what is possible when creativity is not just cultivated, but unleashed.”
What are your thoughts on Henley’s decision to put the band to rest?