Randy Meisner, who is a founding member of the rock band The Eagles, has died aged 77.
Meisner died as a result of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on Wednesday night (US time).
The band announced the death of Meisner via a statement to their official website.
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“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,” the statement reads.
“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,” said the Eagles.
The band concluded by saying that funeral arrangements for the rocker are pending.
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Though Meisner primarily played bass for the band, he co-wrote several big hits including Take It to the Limit which was the third single from their 1975 album One of These Nights.
Meisner quit The Eagles straight after the band’s seminal record Hotel California in 1976 and did not join the album’s promotional tour citing fatigue.
“I could have tripled my money if I’d stayed,” the bassist told PEOPLE in a 1981 interview about quitting the band. “But I was just tired of the touring. It’s a crazy life that you live at twice the normal speed. When it got to the point of sanity or money… I thought I’d rather have sanity.”
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Though Meisner did not join the band for their 1994 reunion, he did play alongside them for their 1998 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. He was once again invited to join them on their 2013 world tour but was forced to decline due to his poor health.
When Meisner suffered a medical scare in 2013 and 2014, he said that his Eagles bandmates helped him out financially.
“I aspirated some food into my throat and choked,” he said in an interview. “I was in a coma for a little while, too. They paid for everything, me being in the hospital.”
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He was later faced with the death of his bandmate, The Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey.
“All day yesterday, I was like a zombie. He was the last person I expected to go first. He was such an energetic guy,” Meisner said at the time.
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