Randy Meisner, Eagles Co-Founder, Dead At 77

Eagles co-founder Randy Meisner's death has left yet another black hole in the rock universe. The band's website announced the heartbreaking news the day after his passing: "The Eagles are sad to report that founding member, bassist, and vocalist, Randy Meisner, passed away last night (July 26) in Los Angeles at age 77, due to complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)."

Meisner formed the legendary band in 1971 with Glenn Frey, Don Henley, and Bernie Leadon. Though Frey and Henley became the better-known singers of the group, it's Meisner's soaring high notes you hear on "Take It To the Limit," one of the hits he co-wrote. "Randy was an integral part of the Eagles and instrumental in the early success of the band," the website eulogizes. Although Meisner only spent six years with the band, he was considered vital enough to be included when the Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, along with Frey, Henley, Leadon, Joe Walsh, Don Felder, and Timothy B. Schmit, who succeeded him as bassist. Felder remembers him as someone "with a great heart and a loving soul," per the Hall of Fame's in memoriam.

The Eagles' country-influenced sound was in part contributed by Randall Herman "Randy" Meisner, a Nebraska native whose grandfather had been a violinist. Prior to co-founding the group, Meiser had been the bassist for the group Poco and Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band; he also contributed to James Taylor's "Sweet Baby James" album and performed with Linda Ronstadt, through whom he met Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Bernie Leadon. Meisner helped the Eagles soar to greatness with their albums, including the iconic "Hotel California." His impressive falsetto talent added to the harmonies of hits like "Take It Easy" and "Best of My Love."

But behind the scenes, the group dynamics were starting to fray and the atmosphere proved too trying for Meisner, who was also in the midst of a divorce. In 1977, just a year after "Hotel California" dropped, he left the group. (The Eagles themselves broke up in 1980 over political differences.) Sadly, Meisner's solo career never reached superstardom and his later years were marked by illness and tragedy. Per the Associated Press, Meisner struggled with alcohol abuse and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, leading to a 2015 court appearance in which he was ordered to go under medical supervision. The following year, his second wife, Lana Rae, fatally shot herself in an accident. Meisner's health had apparently deteriorated in recent years and his death has been attributed to chronic breathing issues. His surviving bandmates have described him as a sweet man who was too modest to be comfortable with stardom.