“It is with profound regret that I find I must bow out of my role with the Eagles while I can still do so gracefully”: Longtime Eagles guitarist announces retirement from band following health struggles

The Eagles' longtime guitarist, Steuart Smith, has announced his retirement from the band after 24 years, midway through the group's residency at Sphere in Las Vegas. Smith has attributed his decision to his recent Parkinsonism diagnosis, which has impacted his playing.

“It is with profound regret that, due to performance issues associated with my recently diagnosed Parkinsonism, I find that I must bow out of my role with the Eagles while I can still do so gracefully,” Smith shared in a statement to the Los Angeles Times.

“It's been a great quarter of a century, and I had hoped to be able to finish out this year with the band, but I must now do what's best for all concerned.”

Eagles founding member Don Henley also commented on Smith's departure in a statement: “Steuart Smith has retired from touring. The Eagles will be forever grateful for the extraordinary talents that he brought to both our recordings and live performances. Steuart will be greatly missed, but he will always be a part of our musical family. We know our many fans join us in wishing him well.”

Smith has had an illustrious career recording and touring with a host of music legends, including Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Dolly Parton, and Stevie Nicks, to name a mere few.

He began touring with the Eagles in 2001, following the departure of Don Felder, but never officially joined the revered group, famously saying, “I'm not an Eagle,” in the 2013 documentary History of the Eagles. Despite this, he co-wrote six songs on the band's first full studio album after their initial ’70s run, 2007's Long Road Out of Eden, and is also credited as a co-producer.

Following in Smith's footsteps will be singer-songwriter Chris Holt, who first took the stage with the Eagles on January 17, stepping in for the veteran guitarist. Holt had previously played alongside Smith as part of Don Henley's solo band and has also been a member of the Mike Campbell-led Dirty Knobs since 2022.

“I’m trying to fill the giant shoes of all three that came before me,” Holt told The Dallas Morning News, referring to Smith, as well as previous Eagles guitarists Bernie Leadon and Don Felder. “It’s some of the most beautiful guitar work ever recorded, in my opinion. It’s the highest honor for me to do it, and it’s my duty to get it right.”

The Eagles' Las Vegas residency, which kicked off back in September as part of their (very) Long Goodbye tour, was originally scheduled to run until mid-October but has since been extended well into April due to overwhelming demand.