Report: Arthritis Pills Played Role In Frey's Death

Glenn Frey

Eagles rocker Glenn Frey suffered from debilitating rheumatoid arthritis for years — and died partly because of the pills he took for it.

“He died from complications of ulcer and colitis after being treated with drugs for his rheumatoid arthritis, which he had for over 15 years,’’ the singer’s manager, Irving Azoff, told the website The Wrap.

“The colitis and pneumonia were side effects from all the meds,” Azoff said.

The manager, recalling Frey’s struggle with the crippling joint condition, added, “One day, [Frey’s] knees would hurt, his hands hurt.’’ The illness “moves from joint to joint,’’ he said.

Frey, who lived with his wife, Cindy, in Tribeca, died Monday at Columbia University Medical Center, part of New York-Presbyterian, in Washington Heights. He was 67.

The NY Post reports Frey’s final decline began roughly a month after his last performance with the Eagles in Bossier City, La., on July 29, said his brother, Alan Frey.

Glenn Frey had vacationed in Hawaii after the tour ended but was forced to check into a hospital in Los Angeles with an intestinal infection in October, he said.

Frey briefly recovered — and even planned to perform again with the band at the Kennedy Center Honors cultural-achievement awards in Washington, DC, in December. But he was forced to cancel in early November, saying he needed to undergo surgery.

Later that month, he checked into the Manhattan hospital with a bad case of pneumonia. A team of doctors diligently tried to save him — at one point placing him in a medically induced coma, Seger said.