Lady Antebellum singer Charles Kelley is speaking out about the death of Eagles legend Glenn Frey, paying tribute to his broad influence on country music.

Frey passed away at a hospital in New York City on Monday (Jan. 18), succumbing to complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia. He was 67 years old. The Eagles broke the news on their Facebook page Monday afternoon. Frey had undergone surgery for intestinal issues that forced the group to postpone their appearance at the Kennedy Center Honors in December.

"That was just so crazy, so shocking, too," Kelley tells Taste of Country Nights host Sam Alex. "Lady A, since we started, always named Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles. Those were our two biggest influences, and man, Glenn Frey ... if they were out today, the Eagles would be the biggest country artists. They've always been the biggest artists, period."

Kelley cites The History of the Eagles as one of his favorite films about the music business.

"I never got to meet Glenn, but I went and saw them when they came to Nashville, saw the Eagles show, and one of my favorite documentaries — if anybody hasn't seen it, you've got to see this Eagles documentary," he states. "It's almost like a cautionary tale in a little bit of a way, for a band like Lady Antebellum. The only thing that'll break you up is inner turmoil in the business, all that other stuff. But man, those songs ...  he's one of the great songwriters ever, when you think of 'Tequila Sunrise' and all these amazing songs."

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