Former Eagles member Don Felder became involved in a long and complex fight over money and control within the band. After leaving the group in 2001, he faced major financial and legal battles over how the band’s money and decisions were handled, mainly against Don Henley and Glenn Frey. Although a lawsuit settlement aimed to keep the details quiet, Felder continued to speak out.
The agreement the musician made stopped him from talking openly about the lawsuit’s details. However, he still wrote a book named ‘Heaven and Hell: My Life in The Eagles (1974-2001)’ about his time with the band and talked about it in a 2008 interview with Westword.
Addressing Henley’s Accusations
When asked about Henley’s claim that Felder wanted to stop Henley and Frey from leading the Eagles and tried to sway other members, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, against them, and if Don was annoyed by this accusation, the rocker replied:
“It’s not frustrating. It’s just not accurate. I never challenged control of the band. Basically, all I did was start asking questions. There’s an old adage in Hollywood amongst managers: ‘Pay your acts enough money that they don’t ask questions.’ And I started asking questions. Not only was I a one-third owner of Eagles, Ltd., and I’d been somewhat fiscally illiterate about the handling of funds and contracts and negotiations and all that – I just stayed out of it.”
He went on to discuss the significant changes he noticed in how the band was run in the 1990s:
“But in the ’90s, when we resumed, and Don and Glenn literally seized power, and through greed and power just kind of started taking control of the whole thing, making all the decisions without even consulting or a phone call or what used to be a band meeting. None of that took place. And we’d go out and do a bunch of shows, and I’d get a check, and that was it.”
Seeking Transparency In Band Affairs
Felder then reflected on Henley and Frey’s reaction to his inquiries:
“I had no idea of what was going on, what charities we were giving money to, or anything. So I started asking questions, not only as a one-third owner of the band – the three people who owned the band were Don Henley, Glenn Frey and myself – but as also a shareholder and stockholder in a multimillion dollar company, I had the right and legal grounds to ask these questions. And they became very intimidated.”
The guitarist also explained how his efforts to understand where the money was going eventually led to his dismissal:
“I got what I would call sandbagged as far as information being supplied to me, and when my lawyer finally sent letters asking for information they’d promised me they would deliver, the response I got was, ‘You’re fired.’ So, I wouldn’t really categorize it as me trying to take control of the band. I was simply trying to get answers to questions about where all the money was going. My question back to them today is, if you have nothing to hide, why hide everything?”
Henley and Frey continued with the Eagles until Frey’s death in 2016. The band continued to tour with other members, but the relationship between Felder and the remaining Eagles did not publicly improve. In a 2013 interview with Illinois Entertainer, Felder noted his willingness to reunite with the band under one condition: they would need to extend an offer of friendship or peace first.
