Randy Meisner, a founding member of the band The Eagles, passed away on July 26. He was 77 years old. He was the bassist and singer known for co-writing and performing the song “Take It to the Limit.”
Meisner died on Wednesday night due to complications from a health condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as announced by the band on Thursday.
The band noted in a brief statement–
Randy was an integral part of the Eagles and instrumental in the early success of the band. His vocal range was astonishing, as is evident on his signature ballad, ‘Take It to the Limit.’
The details for the funeral are still being sorted out, as mentioned by the band.
Randy Meisner, originally from Nebraska, was part of Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band and the country-rock group Poco before co-founding The Eagles in 1971 along with Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Bernie Leadon.
In The Eagles, Meisner mainly played the bass, but he also wrote and sang some of their classic songs. One of his biggest hits with the band was “Take It to the Limit,” which was the third single from their 1975 album “One of These Nights.”
Meisner quit the band after they completed the album Hotel California in 1976. He chose not to go on tour to promote the album. “I could have tripled my money if I’d stayed,” Meisner told PEOPLE in 1981.
“But I was just tired of the touring. It’s a crazy life that you live at twice the normal speed. When it got to the point of sanity or money… I thought I’d rather have sanity.”
Reportedly, Meisner was not asked to join The Eagles’ reunion in 1994. However, he did perform with the band during their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1998. In 2013, the band invited him to join their global tour, but unfortunately, he couldn’t attend due to his declining health. In 2016, Meisner revealed that the band helped with his medical expenses.
Meisner was married to Jennifer Lee Barton from 1963 to 1981, and they had three daughters together. Later, he married Lana Rae in 1996, but she tragically passed away in 2016. Lana accidentally shot and killed herself in March 2016, but Meisner was not involved in the incident, according to authorities.
Have a look at the tweet we have provided to you below-
Sorry to hear #Eagles #musician Randy Meisner has left us. He was an incredible #singer #songwriter and #bassist. Peace to his friends and family. #Takeittothelimit #rip #RandyMeisner pic.twitter.com/S3tAOcv2fO
— Randy Bachman (@RandysVinylTap) July 28, 2023
Meisner reminisced on the band’s career and how their music survived rock critics in a 2016 interview with Rock Cellar Magazine.
Randy Meisner said-
It’s just good to know that kids nowadays are listening to it. It’s long standing music. They’re good songs. The lyrics are really good and the way that they were produced and the way that we played them. That’s why on Hotel California we were so precise and wanting to make it so perfect. We made sure we got it so good.
Meisner’s death comes just weeks after the Eagles’ surviving members revealed preparations for a final tour. Their “Long Goodbye” tour will depart on September 7, 2023. Henley, Vince Gill, and Timothy B. Schmidt, who replaced Meisner in the Eagles in 1976, are now on the band’s roster. Deacon Frey, the late Frey’s son, will join them. Frey died in 2016 at the age of 67.
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