A legend is gone: Eagles founder Randy Meisner dies at age 77

"The Eagles are sad to report that founding member, bassist, and vocalist, Randy Meisner, passed away last night (July 26) in Los Angeles at age 77."

With a statement posted on Facebook, the legendary rock band announced the harsh news: Randy Meisner has passed away.

"Complications from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)" that the musician suffered from, was the cause of his death, the Eagles' statement clarifies.

The statement not only praises Randy Meisner as a founding member of the band but also as a key figure in the music of the mid-20th century.

"As the original bass player for the pioneering country-rock group, Poco, Randy was at the forefront of the musical revolution that began in Los Angeles, in the late 1960s."

Before 'Poco', Randy Meisner had already been a bassist and vocalist for 'Rick Nelson's Canyon Band'.

It would be in 1971 when Randy Meisner, along with Gleen Frey, Don Henley, and Bernie Leadon, formed the now-famous band 'The Eagles.'

The band would release six studio albums between 1972 and 1979: 'Eagles' (1972), 'Desperado' (1973), 'On the Border' (1974), 'One of These Nights' (1975), 'Hotel California' (1976), and 'The Long Run' (1979).

These six albums in a span of seven years made the Eagles one of the music groups with the most records sold in history.

We are talking about more than 150 million copies sold, with six of their albums reaching number 1 and up to five of the band's songs topping the singles chart.

In fact, the compilation 'Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)' became the best-selling album in history in 2018, surpassing Michael Jackson's 'Thriller', thanks to a total of 51 million copies sold worldwide.

The curious thing is that the fifth studio album, 'Hotel California', released in 1976, occupies the spot of the third best-selling album in history, with 26 million copies. This album, in addition to the legendary song, included another number 1: 'New Kid in Town.'

These figures give you an idea of the impact the Eagles had on music and popular culture.

Not only did they dominate the 1970s music scene around the world, but their West Coast sound - calm rock mixed with country vibes - changed the American paradigm which had been dominated by rock and blues until then.

"Randy was an integral part of the Eagles and instrumental in the early success of the band," the band says in its statement. "His vocal range was astonishing, as is evident on his signature ballad, ‘Take It to the Limit.'"

Now that a core member of the band has left, it remains to be seen what happens with the tour 'Eagles, The Long Goodbye, Final Tour' that was going to start on September 7, 2023.