He Soared Like An Eagle

Glenn Frey wasn’t just part of the Eagles, he was the engine behind their greatest hits. From crafting the laid-back groove of “Take It Easy” to shaping the haunting mystique of “Hotel California", his fingerprints were everywhere, ultimately changing the face of rock and roll forever. But behind the soaring success a storm brewed—and Frey’s fall proved as dramatic as his rise.

1. He Was A Motor City Music Kid

Glenn Frey was born in Detroit, Michigan with Motor City music in his veins. Right from the time he entered the world in November of 1948, this future rock legend had wings to soar to unparalleled heights. Growing up in the sleepy suburb of Royal Oak, though, music was just one of his many unique interests.

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2. He Had More Hobbies Than Hits (At First)

Before he ever strummed a guitar or sang a note in tune, little Frey had a laundry list of interests and his life could have gone in any direction. He was an avid reader who might have become a writer. He was, despite his “small stature”, an athlete who might have pitched for the pros. He was, at his parents’ behest, a piano virtuoso who might have performed in an orchestra.

Interestingly enough, though, his unexpected future ultimately combined every single one of those early interests. 

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3. He Liked Kerouac And Dean

One of Frey’s earliest and most impactful influences wasn’t even a musician—it was the writer, Jack Kerouac. In fact, Frey was so crazy for Kerouac that he named one of his early high school bands “The Subterraneans” after Kerouac’s 1958 novel. He also adopted James Dean’s “rebel without a cause” attitude.

In other words, he was a literary rocker.

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4. He Rocked For The Girls

Unlike most of his peers at the time, Frey skipped right over folk music and fell into the Elvis-inspired rock and roll craze. But it wasn’t exactly because of his musical preferences. At the age of 16, he cared about one thing and one thing only: girls. And, as far as he could see, girls cared about one thing and one thing only: rockstars.

So despite all the grit and chaos becoming associated with the genre, he decided to become one.

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5. He Caught Beatlemania (Hard)

When Frey saw how people responded to The Beatles in 1964, he knew that he wanted to be just like them. So, he ditched his piano, picked up a guitar and started strumming. Soon enough, he was bouncing from band to band in Detroit, eventually ending up in a group called The Mushrooms.

You might say they were “capped”.

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6. He Was A Local Teen Sensation

In his early days, Frey might not have been able to replicate Beatlemania—but that’s not to say he didn’t have his own fans. The Mushrooms became regulars on Swinging Time, Detroit’s local teen dance show. With good hair, a leather jacket, and a wry grin, Frey was headed for stardom. Or, perhaps, boredom.

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7. He Was High All The Time

When Frey graduated from Dondero High in 1966, he dreamed of a life in music. But reality set in and he promptly strummed and hummed his way into college. Suffice to say, his heart—and head—wasn’t in the lecture hall. Frey spent most of his time chasing girls and getting high. A chance encounter, however, would change everything.

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8. He Owed It All To Bob Seger

In 1967, Frey met another Detroit musician: the myth, the man, and the legend Bob Seger. Right away, the two sparked up a bromance that would reshape rock forever. Seger helped Frey get signed to Hideout Records and even produced his first single. It seemed like he had found his calling—then his mother intervened.

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9. He Was Almost A Seger Seagull Instead Of An Eagle

Had it not been for Frey’s mother, Frey might never have founded the Eagles. Just as Frey prepared to join Seger’s band, his mother caught him getting high with the music man. Given that he was still in his late teens, his mother put her foot down and forbade him from joining Seger. Turns out, mama knows best.

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10. He Backed a Hit at 19

When Frey turned 19, he was free to follow his own path. Without a parent to stop him, he rejoined Seger and played acoustic guitar and sang backup on Seger’s “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man”. The single was a hit and gave Frey his first taste of rock glory—and he wanted more. Acting on Seger’s advice, Frey began writing his own music.

That’s when everything changed.

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11. He Followed A Girl To California

Throughout his teenage years, Frey had been dating Joan Sliwin, a fellow musician who would go on to form the girl group, Honey Ltd. But when Sliwin broke it off and moved to Los Angeles, Frey thought he’d try to win her back and followed her there. However, instead of finding Sliwin, he found something even better.

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12. He Met A Musical Soulmate

Frey’s West Coast gamble paid off—just not in the way he expected. While his romance with Silwin fizzled, his real love story was just getting started. In California, he met John David Souther, a fellow Detroit native who happened to be dating Sliwin's sister. The two bonded over music and heartbreak—and the rest became history.

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13. He Split His Payday

Frey and Souther didn’t miss a beat. They immediately formed a duo and, before long, had a publishing deal. Unfortunately, they weren’t exactly rockstars. Their deal only paid a grand total of $90 a week…which they split. Between rent, food, and trying to look cool, it was barely enough to survive. But while the struggle was real, so was the sound.

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14. He Spied On A Songwriting Genius

For a time, Frey lived upstairs from none other than Jackson Browne. Listening through the floorboards, Frey would hear Browne’s songwriting process in real-time—and it changed everything. For Frey, it was like going to musical grad school without the tuition or the student loans. Success, however, still eluded him.

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15. He Became A Troubadour Regular

Frey and Souther perfected their sound, but their publishing deal took them nowhere. So, they ditched and made the Troubadour, the famous nightclub, their unofficial home base. The iconic venue was crawling with future legends—and Frey was about to become one of them.

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16. He Met Another Musical Mastermind

In 1970, everything changed for Frey. Through his record label, Amos Records, he met Don Henley; a musical meet-cute for the ages. No one knew it yet, but these two would go on to dominate the airwaves and smash records. But first, they needed a full band.

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17. He Happened Into A Band

Around the time that Frey met Henley, Linda Ronstadt, the eclectic and enigmatic singer, just so happened to be in the market for a backing band. Desperate for a guitarist, her manager hired Frey and unwittingly assembled one of the most transformative rock bands in history. He also recruited Henley, Randy Meisner, and Bernie Leadon for the tour.

If those names sound familiar, they should.

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18. He Took Flight With The Eagles

After performing just one gig with Ronstadt, Frey and Henley had a brilliant idea: why not keep the band going? Alongside Meisner and Leadon, they formed the first iteration of the Eagles. With a little country, a little rock, and a lot of ambition, they had all the makings of a supergroup. The only thing missing was a manager.

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19. He Auditioned Cold

Given that they had only ever played one gig as a backing band for another musician, no one had ever heard of the Eagles. But that didn’t stop Frey from making a bold move. Without so much as an invitation, Frey and his Eagles bandmates auditioned for the all-powerful media executive, David Geffen. Seeing their raw potential, Geffen signed them immediately.

The Eagles were officially ready to fly. But they still needed to jump the nest.

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20. He Found The Eagles’ Sound

Frey knew he had something with the Eagles—he just didn’t know what that something was. So, before they hit the big time, the Eagles retreated to Colorado to write, jam, and figure out who they were. With music producer Glyn Johns behind them, they locked in their sound and got ready to soar.

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21. He Took It Easy

With their new sound, the Eagles released their debut single, “Take It Easy”. Funny enough, Frey did everything but take it easy. In addition to singing the lead vocals, he had collaborated with Jackson Browne to write the lyrics, infusing the song with his literary flair. But, when the single soared to number 12 on the charts, it was as clear a statement as any: Frey had rewritten rock music.

He was just getting started.

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22. He Wasn’t Easily Satisfied

Despite a successful debut, Frey wasn’t content to coast. The Eagles’ first album earned praise from music critics and remained near the top of the charts for weeks. But, Frey and Henley were already eyeing the next big thing—and it wasn’t just another round of country-tinged radio hits.

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23. He Pushed The Limits

With a commercially successful album under his belt, Frey and his Eagles bandmates decided that it was time to get back to the drawing board. What they produced next, however, was not something the music world had seen—or heard. Their follow-up album, Desperado, was a “concept album” that pushed the limits of country-rock.

The only question was, had they pushed the limits too far?

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24. He Was A Musical Desperado

Frey and Henley had teamed up to write “Desperado”, their bold new album’s daring title track. Though they never released it as a single, the song quickly became a favorite amongst Eagles fans. However, behind the scenes, not everyone was onboard with the experimental sound that Frey was giving to the Eagles.

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25. He Surprised His Bandmates

Initially, Frey’s ambitious concept didn’t sit well with all of his bandmates. Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner admitted that Frey’s new direction for the band had “caught them off guard”. However, once they saw how Eagles fans reacted, they had to relent: Frey was onto something. But the sales didn’t show it.

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26. His Bandmates Stood By Him

Despite its popularity amongst Eagles fans, Desperado didn’t even come close to the top of the charts, staying well outside of the vaunted “Top 40”. However, the band didn’t blame Frey for the album’s relatively weak performance. Instead, they pointed the finger at the record label, where business considerations had overshadowed artistic ones.

Redemption was just one hit single away.

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27. He Found His Voice

Between the Eagles’ first and second albums, Frey leveled up—and the world took note. Singing had never truly been his forte, however he was determined to change that. Frey put in the hours and made his vocals soar. By the time the band’s third album, On the Border, came out, Frey had a heavier rock and roll sound and the album broke into the top 20 on the charts.

However, a rift was forming behind the scenes. 

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28. He Was One Of The Cool Kids

Even though the Eagles flocked together, there was no question: the band belonged to Frey and Henley. Naturally, it wouldn’t be long before cliques within the band began to form. On the one hand, Frey and Henley emerged as the creative nucleus, while Leadon and Meisner began to feel more like satellites, particularly after Don Felder joined.

Serious changes were coming.

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29. His Bandmates Walked Out

Just as birds change their feathers, the Eagles were changing their band members. Despite the band's growing success, they just couldn't keep it together. Seemingly feeling as though the band had become “Frey, Henley, and the Other Guys”, Leadon stepped down after the release of One of These Nights. Shortly after that, Meisner followed, with Frey and Henley picking their replacements. Still, the Eagles were more popular than ever.

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30. He Checked Into The “Hotel California”

“Hotel California” is, arguably, the Eagles’ most enduring hit—and it was almost all Frey’s idea. Frey later revealed that, in writing and composing the song, he had had a “cinematic vision”. Picture this: a weary traveler stumbling into a strange desert hotel, “a weird world” full of “freaky characters”. Frey’s haunting lyrics tell of a traveler “caught in a disturbing web from which he may never escape”.

The lyrics were eerily close to Frey’s own life.

Eagles - Hotel California (Live 1977) (Official Video) [HD], Eagles

31. He Entered The Twilight Zone

According to Frey, “Hotel California” was more movie than music. In an interview, he revealed that he envisioned the song opening “like an episode of the Twilight Zone”. Just as his chilling lyrics suggest, he pictured a character who could never escape their unreality. “We wanted to write a song just like it was a movie”, he explained.

It got stranger from there.

Eagles - Hotel California (Live 1977) (Official Video) [HD], Eagles

32. He Just Wanted To Be Weird

As the years rolled by, Frey revealed more and more about the perplexing, haunting, and mysterious “Hotel California”. In describing the “cinematic montage” that inspired his song, he said, “We decided to create something strange, just to see if we could do it”. However, this last burst of creative freedom might have drained the entire band.

Eagles - Hotel California (Live 1977) (Official Video) [HD], Eagles

33. He Landed The Eagles

With hit after hit, the Eagles quickly became one of the best-selling rock groups in history. From sold-out stadiums to endless radio plays and chart-topping albums, every member of the band was rolling in dough. However, Frey couldn’t maintain those soaring heights. In a stunning move, Frey and Henley decided to disband the Eagles.

It was a curious move.

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34. He Couldn’t Live Up To The Hype

Years later, Frey revealed the reason for his and Henley’s decision to land the Eagles and break up the band. In an interview, he gave a two-word reason: “Hotel California”. He confessed that he and his bandmates felt too much pressure to come up with another outré classic like their haunting rock narrative.

Without a band, it wasn’t clear what he’d do next.

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35. He Was “No Fun” (But Everyone Loved It)

With the Eagles broken up, Frey wasted no time launching a solo career. In 1982, he released his debut solo album, No Fun Aloud. Unlike the title suggested, Frey had more than a lot of fun with his out loud sound. Hits like “I Found Somebody” and “The One You Love” cracked the Top 40 and proved Frey didn’t need a flock to fly high.

In fact, he was about to go stratospheric.

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36. He Turned Up The Heat

In 1984, Frey made another bold sound choice. This time, he teamed up with the synth wizard, Harold Faltermeyer, to deliver “The Heat Is On”—the blazing theme song for Beverly Hills Cop. With Eddie Murphy chasing bad guys on screen and Frey shredding on the radio, the track became a worldwide hit. It also opened up a whole new world for Frey.

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37. He Made The Move To TV

Frey’s success with “The Heat Is On” landed him an unexpected second act—as an actor. After releasing “Smuggler’s Blues”, the moody single inspired an entire Miami Vice episode. The song was so popular that it actually landed Frey a guest-starring role on the show, making him the rare type of eagle who could fly and swim.

That said, he was definitely better on radio than on TV.

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38. His Ratings Flew—Then Fell Hard

With a few screen credits to his name, Frey caught the acting bug and made several more TV appearances, including a surprisingly solid guest arc on Wiseguy. But when he starred in his own show, South of Sunset, it flopped harder than a stage dive on concrete. The pilot premiered to abysmal ratings, forcing the network to cancel it after just one episode.

His attention may have been elsewhere.

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39. He Found Love—Briefly

In 1983, just as he was learning to fly solo as a musician, Frey was pairing up in his personal life. The former Eagles frontman tied the knot with Janie Beggs, a Texas-born artist. But, much like his show, if you blinked, you missed it. The couple separated in 1988, sharing few, if any, details about their marriage. Fortunately, he’d learn to love again.

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40. He Found His Rhythm In Love

In 1990, Frey married Cindy Millican, a dancer and choreographer whose rhythm matched his beat. The two stayed together for the rest of his life and had three children—Taylor, Deacon, and Otis. In fact, Frey’s son, Deacon, would also have a short stint as an Eagle after Frey passed on. Getting the band back together turned out to be a priority for Frey.

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41. He Waited Until Hell Froze Over

In 1994, after over a decade apart, Frey finally gave the people what they wanted: a reunion. To the delight of rock fans the world over, the Eagles got back together to release a new album, Hell Freezes Over and embark on an ambitious “Hell Freezes Over” tour. The album was actually something of an inside joke.

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42. He Knew How To Milk A Joke

When asked in an interview about the band’s decision to reunite, Frey had the perfect answer at the ready. He explained that, previously, whenever people asked when the band would get back together, the Eagles liked to say, “When Hell freezes over”. Naming the album and tour after their cheeky response was, as Frey put it, “a pretty good joke”.

It was so good, they turned it into a multi-million-dollar comeback.

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43. He Said That There Was No Drama

Over the years, Eagles fans and detractors alike had speculated on the reasons for the band’s breakup. But, once they got back together, Frey was quick to set the record straight. “People have the misconception that we were fighting a lot. It is not true,” he insisted. “We had a lot more fun than I think people realize”.

He made a point of downplaying any rumors.

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44. He Took A 14-Year Vacation

At the Eagles’ first show back in 1994, Frey took the opportunity to dispel any rumors about Eagles in-fighting for good. He looked out at the crowd and declared, “For the record, we never broke up. We just took a 14-year vacation”. By that time, however, he was no longer a young rockstar.

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45. His Health Took A Hit

In the early 2000s, Frey began to battle with health issues. When his doctors diagnosed him with rheumatoid arthritis, he knew his prospects weren’t great. Worse yet, the meds he took helped his joints but hit his gut, triggering colitis and pneumonia. Sadly, his condition worsened at the worst time.

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46. He Missed A Big Moment

In 2015, just as the Eagles were about to receive an honor at the Kennedy Center, Frey hit another setback. On the advice of his doctors, the Eagles postponed their appearance so Frey could undergo surgery. It was supposed to be a pit stop on the road to recovery—but things turned bad. 

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47. He Slipped Into A Coma

Instead of having surgery and quickly getting back on the road to recovery, complications from pneumonia caused doctors to put Frey in a medically induced coma. His family and bandmates were left in limbo, waiting for a recovery that would never come.

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48. He Fought A Triple Threat

Rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia—a brutal trio. According to medical experts, the very medication that Frey was using to treat his condition may have compromised his immune system. Then, in mid-January of 2016, Frey took his final flight and landed in the hereafter. The rock legend was just 67 years old.

Some people suspected foul play.

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49. His Wife Fought Back

While the entire world mourned the loss of a beloved Eagle, Frey’s family lost a husband and a father. And it was more than they could bear. In 2018, Frey’s widow filed suit against Frey’s hospital and doctor, claiming that they had been negligent in treating him. Regardless, Frey’s legacy was not something they could take away.

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50. He Never Let It Go To His Head

With platinum records, chart-topping singles, stadium-rattling concerts, and, to boot, a bronze statue in his honor, Frey could have allowed his ego to soar as high as his career. However, in spite of his wild success, he still managed to stay grounded. “As long as I keep taking out the garbage and cleaning up after the dogs,” he said, “I’ll have perspective”.

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Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5