Eagles founding member, Randy Meisner, stepped away from the spotlight of the music industry before his death after suffering a heartbreaking loss.
The band confirmed in a statement on its website Thursday that its bassist and singer died on Wednesday. It applauded the late member's contribution that brought early success to the band, though he had to leave a few years before his death due to a tragic event.
Why Did Randy Meisner Leave Spotlight?
In March 2016, Meisner faced a heartbreaking event when his second wife, Lana Rae Meisner, died after she accidentally shot herself while they were arguing inside their Los Angeles home.
According to The Independent, at that time, Lana was trying to reach a cupboard that had a rifle when another object moved and hit the trigger, leaving her with a fatal gunshot wound. The Californian police received a 911 call from an intoxicated man, soon identified as Meisner, who reported the incident.
LAPD spokesman Gus Barrientos said it was an accidental discharge of a firearm and that there was no sign of murder, homicide, or suicide. The authorities then called it a "weird accident" as the gun needed a feather's touch to go off, adding that a surveillance video exonerated Meisner from having a potential role in the accident since he was staying in a different part of the house.
Following the event, Meisner decided to step away from the spotlight and was put on psychiatric watch following a threatened suicide.
Randy Meisner's Cause of Death
Years after his wife's demise, Meisner died of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on Wednesday.
ABC News reported that the same disease has been affecting nearly 16 million Americans or 6.4 percent of the total population. It became the fourth leading cause of death in the US in 2018.
His death came weeks after the Eagles shared their plans to have a final tour, the Long Goodbye tour, starting in September. The lineup is set to feature Timothy B. Schmidt, who replaced Meisner when he left the band in 1976 to promote "Hotel California" instead.
"I could have tripled my money if I'd stayed," Meisner told PEOPLE years after leaving the Eagles. "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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