Deacon Frey Exits Eagles To ‘Forge His Own Path’ After Almost 5 Years

Deacon Frey, the son of late Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey, has left the band after almost five years of filling his dad’s formidable shoes as guitarist and vocalist, saying he is ready to fly on his own.

In a statement posted on the Eagles website, the band wrote:

“Deacon Frey has devoted the past 4½ years to carrying on his father’s legacy and, after some weeks of reflection, he now feels that it is time for him to forge his own path. We understand, completely, and we support him in whatever he wishes to pursue in the years ahead.

“In the wake of his dad’s demise, Deacon, at age 24, did an extraordinary thing by stepping from relative anonymity into the very public world of his father’s long illustrious career. We are grateful to Deacon for his admirable efforts and we wish him well as he charts his future.

“Deacon’s Eagles Family will always be here to surround him with love, support and goodwill, and he is always welcome to join us onstage at any future concerts, if he so desires. We hope our fans will join us in wishing Deacon the very best as he moves into the next phase of his career. -Eagles”

Deacon Frey, along with Nashville guitar ace Vince Gill, joined Eagles in 2017 for the band’s first shows – the Classic East and Classic West concerts at Citi Field in NYC and Dodger Stadium in LA, respectively – before beginning a long run touring with the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers. He has missed some shows during the “Hotel California” tour and, apparently during that time, considered his future with the band.

In Deacon’s absence, the other core members of the band – Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit and Gill – covered his parts and it appears that configuration will continue through the rest of the tour and beyond.

Eagles in January announced what may be the final leg of the “Hotel California” tour, which geared back up March 17 in Cleveland, Ohio, at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse  and is expected to wind down May 19 and 20 at the new Moody Center at the University of Texas in Austin. 

Eagles landed at No. 4 on Pollstar’s 2021 Year End Top 100 Worldwide Tours chart with a gross of $59.2 million. And even with the pandemic shutting down touring in 2020, Eagles came in at No. 7 on that year’s Worldwide Tours chart with $33.6 million grossed on 10 shows in four cities.

Hotel California – which earned two Grammy Awards for the title track “New Kid in Town” and “Hotel California” – is the third best-selling U.S. album in history and certified 26-times Platinum by the RIAA.