January 30, 2025
Eagles iconic guitarist, Steuart Smith just announced his retirement.
The musician made the shocking decision after he was diagnosed with Parkinsonism, "a set of movement symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease and other disorders,” as per Parkinson’s Foundation.
In a conversation with PEOPLE magazine, the 72-year-old rocker told the outlet, "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 Hotel California hitmaker continued, "It's been a great quarter of a century, and I had hoped to be able to finish out this year with the band, but I must now do what’s best for all concerned."
The founding member of Eagles, Don Henley was also all praises for Smith’s tenure with one of the world’s best-selling music artists, saying, “Steuart Smith has 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 concluded in his statement issued to PEOPLE magazine.