Eagles Founding Member/Original Bassist Randy Meisner Passes

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Randy Meisner

Randy Meisner, the original bassist for the Eagles, passed away Wednesday night (July 26) due to complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a statement from the band. He was 77.

A founding member of the Eagles in 1971 along with Glenn Frey, Don Henley and Bernie Leadon, Meisner was a native of Scotts Bluff, Nebraska. Before forming the Eagles, he was the original bass player for the band Poco in the late 1960s and also played with Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band.

Meisner was with the Eagles from the release of their self-titled 1972 debut album through 1976’s Hotel California, before exiting in 1977 after a falling out with the group. His distinctive falsetto took front and center on “Take It to the Limit,” one of the group’s most evergreen hits from the band’s 1975 album One of These Nights, which spent 23 weeks on the chart.

“Randy was an integral part of the Eagles and instrumental in the early success of the band,” the band said in a statement. “His vocal range was astonishing, as is evident on his signature ballad, ‘Take It to the Limit.’”

Following his time with the Eagles, Meisner had some solo success with hits including “Hearts On Fire” and “Deep Inside My Heart,” and also played on records by Joe Walsh, James Taylor, Dan Fogelberg and others. He was inducted with the Eagles into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Funeral arrangements are still pending for Meisner, who had three children.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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