Eagles, Don Henley: “2026 will be the year of the end”

“2026 will be the year the Eagles come to an end, and I'm at peace with that.” With these words, Don Henley, 79, laid out in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning a final horizon for the band he founded in 1971. It's not the first time the drummer and singer has spoken of stepping away from the stage, but this time the tone sounds definitive: the band's arc is drawing to a close, and he seems to have made peace with it. Henley explained that he wants to scale back a life shaped for over half a century by tours and stages: more time with family, more room for personal interests, from gardening to slow travel, far from the airport-and-hotel routine that comes with every tour. “When we're on tour, we see airports, hotels, and the venues we play,” he observed, stressing his wish to return to places he's already visited in order to actually get to know them.

Alongside personal reasons, there are also physical ones. Henley has made no secret of his back problems, linked to years of drumming posture, or of the natural changes his voice has undergone with age. At the same time, he continues his commitment to non-profit organizations dedicated to environmental protection.

A record-breaking history

The original lineup included, besides Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner. After Frey's death in 2016, the band carried on with the addition of his son Deacon Frey and Vince Gill.

The Eagles' catalogue remains among the best-selling of all time. Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975), released in 1976, was the first album certified four times Diamond in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with over 42 million copies sold worldwide. Hotel California, released the same year, is among the best-selling albums in the history of the US market, behind that same compilation and Thriller by Michael Jackson.

The present at the Sphere

The band is currently engaged in a long residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The dates originally planned were eight, later extended to 56 shows, with the run set to close on March 28. Henley has described these nights as an exhilarating collective experience, proudly pointing to 53 years of activity, but without indulging in celebration: "Now we have family, health, the state of the world to think about," he stated.

If 2026 really does mark the end, Henley's position is clear: fans will be left with the recordings and footage of the concerts. "They'll have to live on memories," he said. A farewell already announced, waiting to become final.

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