Glenn Frey, a founding member of Eagles who sang and wrote many of the band’s songs and was a part-time actor, died today in New York. He was 67.

The group and his family announced his death in a statement on Facebook: “Glenn fought a courageous battle for the past several weeks but, sadly, succumbed to complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia. … Words can neither describe our sorrow, nor our love and respect for all that he has given to us, his family, the music community & millions of fans worldwide.”

Commonly known as the Eagles but with no “the” on album covers, the group started out as Linda Ronstadt’s backup band in early-1970s Los Angeles and would become one of the world’s biggest acts. Frey wrote or co-wrote many of the group’s best-known songs including “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” “Already Gone,” “Take It Easy,...