Glenn Frey Dead: Eagles Singer/Guitarist Was 67

Singer/guitarist Glenn Frey, a founding member of the Eagles, died Monday. He was 67.

His longtime band broke the news in a 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 and millions of fans worldwide.”

Although's Frey's distinctive vocals grace scores of Eagles songs, he probably is best known as the voice behind "Lyin' Eyes," "Take It Easy," "Heartache Tonight" and “Tequila Sunrise.”

Don Henley, with whom Frey co-wrote several classic Eagles tracks, including “Hotel California” and “Desperado,” quickly released a statement in which he sang Frey's praises:

“He was like a brother to me; we were family, and like most families, there was some dysfunction. But, the bond we forged 45 years ago was never broken, even during the 14 years that the Eagles were dissolved. We were two young men who made the pilgrimage to Los Angeles with the same dream: to make our mark in the music industry—and with perseverance, a deep love of music, our alliance with other great musicians and our manager, Irving Azoff, we built something that has lasted longer than anyone could have dreamed.

“But, Glenn was the one who started it all. He was the spark plug, the man with the plan. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music and a work ethic that wouldn’t quit. He was funny, bullheaded, mercurial, generous, deeply talented and driven. He loved his wife and kids more than anything.”

Frey and Henley also co-wrote "Best of My Love" and "One of These Nights." As any good Eagles trivia maven knows, he even contributed the famous verse, "it's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford / slowing down to take a look at me," to "Take It Easy."

Frey found moderate success as a solo artist, mostly with 1982's No Fun Aloud, his debut solo outing. His last solo album was 2012's After Hours.