Eagles guitarist, Glenn Frey joins David Bowie and Alan Rickman in another tragic loss for 2016

'I had pigeonholed him as this punky kid from Detroit who wanted to be a rocker. But he surprised me with the scope of his musical knowledge.'

Famous Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey passed away at only sixty-seven-years-old following complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Frey was one of the founding members of the Eagles, which saw several number one hits in the 1970s and produced the wildly popular "Hotel California."

The guitarist succumbed to the illnesses on Monday, January 18 in New York.

Actor John Boylan, recalled his initial meeting with Frey and how he mistakenly believed the young Frey would be in need of musical instruction: 

"I had pigeonholed him as this punky kid from Detroit who wanted to be a rocker. But he surprised me with the scope of his musical knowledge. The very first rehearsal we had with Linda [Ronstadt], we were doing a [Hank Williams] song, 'Lovesick Blues.' He knew the country sixth chords that Hank would use - he knew the whole genre already. I figured I would have to teach this guy about ancient country music, but he could have taught me."

Frey moved on to become one of the founding members of the rock band the Eagles, which benefitted from Frey's musical, vocal, and songwriting talents. 

The group's website released the statement:

"It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our comrade, Eagles founder, Glenn Frey, in New York City on Monday, January 18th, 2016. Glenn fought a courageous battle for the past several weeks but, sadly, succumbed to complications from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Acute Ulcerative Colitis and Pneumonia. 

"The Frey family would like to thank everyone who joined Glenn to fight this fight and hoped and prayed for his recovery. Words can neither describe our sorrow, nor our love and respect for all that he has given to us, his family, the music community & millions of fans worldwide."

The message was signed Cindy Frey, Taylor Frey, Deacon Frey, Otis Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, Bernie Leadon and Irving Azoff. 

Following the signatures were the lyrics to "It's Your World Now," written by Frey and Jack Tempchin and was recorded to the Long Road Out of Eden album.

At the news of Frey's death, thousands of fans took to Twitter to post heart-felt comments and express the impact his passing had on their lives.

The Eagles were the recipients of six Grammy Awards, five American Music Awards, sold over 120 million albums and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
Frey will be sorely missed by friends, family and definitely by fans.

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