how did glenn frey die

Glenn Frey died on January 18, 2016, from complications of rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia.

Quick Scoop: How Did Glenn Frey Die?

Glenn Frey, co-founder of the Eagles, passed away at age 67 in New York City after a long struggle with serious health issues.

Official Cause of Death

The band and later reports listed his cause of death as complications from multiple conditions rather than a single event.

• Rheumatoid arthritis (a chronic autoimmune joint disease).

• Acute ulcerative colitis (severe inflammation and ulceration of the colon).

• Pneumonia (a lung infection that can become life-threatening, especially in weakened patients).

In simple terms, his body was dealing with long-standing autoimmune disease and serious intestinal problems, and on top of that, he developed pneumonia, which he ultimately did not survive.

What Happened In His Final Months?

Reports describe a difficult medical stretch in late 2015 leading into 2016.

1. He had battled intestinal problems since the 1980s, including diverticulitis and other colon issues.

2. In late 2015, his intestinal disease flared badly, and he underwent “major surgery” for those issues.

3. He was hospitalized in New York, where his condition worsened and he developed pneumonia while already weakened.

4. He was placed in a medically induced coma, and doctors were reportedly “trying like hell” to keep him alive, but the complications proved too severe.

His long-term autoimmune conditions, the surgery, his age, and the resulting infections all combined into a cascade of complications.

Did His Medications Play a Role?

There has been public debate about whether his treatments contributed to his death.

• His manager, Irving Azoff, suggested that medications for rheumatoid arthritis contributed to, or worsened, his colitis and pneumonia.

• Some arthritis experts have said it’s not clear that the RA drugs “caused” the colitis, but note that immune-suppressing drugs can raise infection risk, including pneumonia.

• It’s widely accepted that people with RA already have higher infection risk, and immune-suppressant medications can make serious infections like pneumonia more likely or harder to fight off.

So while the official cause is “complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia,” there’s ongoing discussion about how much his medications versus his underlying diseases were to blame.

Mini Takeaway (If You Just Wanted the Short Answer)

Glenn Frey did not die from a single heart attack or accident; he died from a combination of serious health problems—rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia—after major surgery and a long history of intestinal disease.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.