After not being able to attend when scheduled to be honored last December due to Glenn Frey suffering from the intestinal issues which took his life the following month, The Eagles with receive The Kennedy Honors this December that will air on CBS Television over the holiday season. They just won’t be joined by past members of the band Don Felder, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner.
The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture (though recipients do not need to be U.S. citizens). The Honors have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in a star-studded gala celebrating the Honorees in the Kennedy Center Opera House.
Despite a change.org petition that garnered 10,301 signatures asking The Kennedy Center to include the trio of ex-Eagles, The Kennedy Center says no. In a statement, “The Kennedy Center consulted with the Eagles and through that discussion, it was determined that the four band members who ‘carried the torch’ — Don Henley, the late Glenn Frey, Timothy B. Schmit, and Joe Walsh — will be awarded the Honors. We appreciate that there will be some debate about who constitutes the Eagles. This determination does not discredit the contributions of former band members.”
So it appears Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh and, posthumously, Glenn Frey will be feted by the Center and President Barack Obama.
Past honorees from the rock sphere include The Who, Elton John, Paul McCartney and Led Zeppelin.