Randy Meisner, Eagles Co-Founder and ‘Take It to the Limit’ Singer, Dead at 77
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Randy Meisner, bassist and founding member of the Eagles who wrote and sang “Take it to the Limit,” died on Wednesday. He was 77 years old.
The Eagles confirmed Meisner’s death in a statement on their website, stating he died from complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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“The Eagles are sad to report that founding member, bassist, and vocalist, Randy Meisner, passed away last night in Los Angeles,” the band wrote. “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.’”
That song, released off 1975’s One of These Nights, showcased Meisner’s talent — and his soaring falsetto was so iconic that it later inspired Fred Armisen in The Blue Jean Committee, his Seventies parody rock band with Bill Hader from Documentary Now!
Meisner wrote “Take it to the Limit” one night at his home in Los Angeles. “I was feeling kind of lonely and started singing ‘All alone at the end of the evening, and the bright lights have faded to blue,’” he recalled. “And it went from there.”
Randall Herman Meisner was born on March 8, 1946 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Prior to the Eagles, he was the founding bassist in Poco, which he formed in 1968 with Buffalo Springfield’s Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Meisner left the group after the release of their debut Pickin’ Up the Pieces and briefly joined Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band.
He then became a member of Linda Ronstadt’s backing band alongside Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Bernie Leadon. In 1971, they parted ways with Ronstadt, signed to David Geffen’s Asylum Records, and named themselves the Eagles.
Meisner spent the next six years with the band, singing on tracks like “Tryin'” (1972’s The Eagles), “Certain Kind of Fool” (1973’s Desperado), and “Midnight Flyer” (1974’s On the Border). He also found himself navigating the intense creative direction of Henley and Frey.
“No, I don’t go along with everything they say or do,” he told Cameron Crowe in the Eagles’ 1975 Rolling Stone cover story. “For example, I’m probably the only one in the band who loves funky rock & roll, trashy music and R&B. And I don’t agree with some of our images either. But Don and Glenn have it covered. I guess I’m just very shy and nervous about putting myself on the line. They’re used to doing that.”
That shy and nervous side took a toll on Meisner, especially after the release of “Take it to the Limit,” which peaked at Number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 23 weeks on the charts. “Randy said, ‘If it’s a hit, I’m going to have to hit that note every night,’” recalled producer and engineer Bill Szymczyk. “Which is exactly what happened.”
“Take it to the Limit” became a concert highlight and fan favorite — especially on the massive 1977 tour supporting Hotel California — and Meisner became increasingly reluctant to sing it. This, paired with other factors like his failing marriage and exhaustion from touring, resulted in his departure from the band later that year.
“When the tour ended, I left the band,” he said. “Those last days on the road were the worst. Nobody was talking to me, or would hang out after shows, or do anything. I was made an outcast of the band I’d helped start.”
Meisner’s later years were plagued with hardships, including an alleged threat of murder-suicide in 2015 and the accidental shooting death of his wife, Lana Rae Meisner, a year later. The Los Angeles Coroner’s Office ruled the death an accident, with one LAPD source telling CBS News that there was no indication of foul play.
In a 2008 interview with Rolling Stone, Meisner said he had no regrets about leaving the Eagles despite everything it cost him. “You’re wasting your time thinking about that stuff,” he said. “I got a great business manager. When he invests, you make money.” The musician gushed about his “two little chihuahuas and tomato plants that are five feet high right now,” before adding, “I’m happy as a clam.”
On Friday, fellow Eagles member Joe Walsh took to social media to pen a tribute to Meisner. “An honor and privilege to share the stage with, Randy was a great guy with an unforgettable voice,” wrote Walsh. “Here’s to always being a dreamer, my friend.”
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