How heartbreaking has it been to lose two music icons in the span of one week? David Bowie was a tragic loss and I mourned the same way most folks my age did, by going through his music and picking out favorites and talking about it with friends.

But the loss of Glenn Frey feels so brutal to me. He just came off the road a little more than six months ago with the Eagles. “Take It Easy,” “Tequila Sunrise” and “No More Cloudy Days” all feature his beautiful voice. He would have never made it past the auditions on The Voice or American Idol but I’m so lucky the ’70’s gave us this true American talent.

I can’t imagine what the members of the Eagles are going through today and every day since his death. I think of Don Henley, his friend and sometimes enemy since 1971. Old friends are the best friends and the loss of someone who has been by his side during their 20’s and now in their 60’s is unbearable. I think of Joe Walsh who pretty much owes his existence to Glenn, Don and the band who took him to rehab to clean up and then begin the tour. How does it feel to outlive the man who saved your life? Ever since I saw Hell Freezes Over it stayed with me that Joe was on a 15 year bender until the Eagles showed up and said, “let’s get the band back together.’ As Joe has said, “I finally had a reason to get clean and sober.”

Maybe that is the reason this has hit me so hard. You can imagine Glenn hanging out with his friends and enjoying their company as they have gotten older. We’re all hoping that the fire of the breakup is something they laughed about now as each man became more enamored with family over groupies and substance abuse. So what really hurts is the thought that we are all getting older along with our friends and one day we will have to do without them. Maybe one day soon.

Pull it all together and you should ask yourself when was the last time you reached out to one of your bandmates? The friends who have lived through the passion, the ups and the downs and maybe helped you out of a fix or two? When was the last time you gave them a quick, “thanks for picking me up all those times?” Or a phone call that reminds them that you remember a time when things weren’t going so well, and how their belief made all the difference. You choose your bandmates in life and it is so easy to let time get away from you. Maybe Glenn’s death tells us we are all “Shooting Stars” and one day we will flame out, some too soon.

I made my calls today. I hope you do too.