Original Eagles bassist Randy Meisner passed away Wednesday night at the age of 77. Meisner battled health issues for the past several years following two heart attacks in 2004.
The Eagles released a statement saying the cause of his death was "complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and noted, “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’.”
He was inducted with the Eagles into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Here are a few career notes on Randy Meisner:
- Born Randall Herman Meisner on March 8th, 1946 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.
- Moved to L.A. in 1966 with a band that eventually came to be known as The Poor.
- In 1968, he became the original bassist for Poco.
- Joined Linda Ronstadt's backing band in 1971, along with Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Bernie Leadon.
- They soon Linda’s band to start the Eagles.
- Meisner played bass on the first five Eagles albums -- up through and including Hotel California.
- His signature song with the Eagles is "Take It to the Limit," which he began writing, before handing it off to Henley and Frey to finish. He sang lead on the song, which peaked at number-four on the Billboard Hot 100.
- Randy Meisner is survived by three children -- two boys and a girl -- from his first wife, Jennifer.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]