The Eagles are flying without touring guitarist Steuart Smith, who is stepping away from the rock band because of health issues.
“It is with profound regret that, due to performance issues associated with my recently diagnosed Parkinsonism, I find that I must bow out of my role with the Eagles while I can still do so gracefully,” the 72-year-old musician said Monday in a statement to USA Today. Representatives of Smith and the Eagles did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.
The musician, who has toured with the band since 2001, said that it’s been “a great quarter of a century” and, although he hoped to be able to finish out this year with the band, he said he “must now do what’s best for all concerned.”
Parkinsonism is not the same as Parkinson’s disease, but the two are often mistaken for each other. Parkinsonism refers to several conditions — including Parkinson’s disease — that have similar symptoms and features but different causes, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Symptoms can include slow movements along with stiffness, walking and balance issues and/or tremor. Parkinsonism disorders can also share non-movement symptoms, such as mood and thinking changes, and speech problems and sleep disturbances, the clinic said. (Parkinson’s disease, which is caused by a loss of the neurotransmitter dopamine, makes up about 80% of all cases of Parkinsonism.)
Smith was there when the “Hotel California” hitmakers launched their Las Vegas residency at the Sphere in September. But when the band resumed its residency at the orb-shaped venue on Jan. 17, singer-songwriter Chris Holt stepped in for the absent guitarist. In a statement to American Songwriter last week, Eagles co-founder Don Henley confirmed that Smith had retired from touring.
“The Eagles will be forever grateful for the extraordinary talents that he brought to both our recordings and live performances. Steuart will be greatly missed, but he will always be a part of our musical family. We know our many fans join us in wishing him well,” Henley said.
Smith joined the Eagles in 2001 when Don Felder was fired, but has not always been credited as a full-time member of the act. The multi-instrumentalist famously said “I’m not an Eagle” in the 2013 “History of the Eagles” documentary but has regularly worked with Henley on solo projects, as well as with music legends Bob Dylan and Ringo Starr. He also has a country music resume that includes collaborations with Rosanne Cash, Vince Gill, Wynonna Judd, Dolly Parton, Trisha Yearwood and others.
In his review of “The Eagles: Live in Concert at the Sphere,” Times pop music critic Mikael Wood wrote that the band’s immersive show kept with “a long-established focus on the music beyond all else.” In November, the band extended the engagement to 32 shows over 16 weekends. They wrap the residency on April 12.
The residency comes amid a so-called farewell tour that the Eagles launched in late 2023. The band has promised to continue extending the tour for as long as audiences show up. Following Glenn Frey’s death in 2016, the 77-year-old Henley is the only original member still in the group. J.D. Souther, who co-wrote several of the Eagles’ signature tunes, died at 78 in September and Randy Meisner, another founder known for his lead vocal in “Take It to the Limit,” died last year at 77.
The group’s current lineup includes Henley, bassist Timothy B. Schmit and guitarist Joe Walsh, who have both been in the Eagles since the mid-’70s. Country star Gill and Frey’s 31-year-old son Deacon have also served as fill-ins.
