The Grammy-winning album has sold more than 26 million copies since its release in 1976, making it one of the best selling in history.Īccording to prosecutors and an indictment, Horowitz bought the documents around 2005 from a writer who worked on a never-published book about the Eagles in the late ’70s. The chart-topping, Grammy-Award-winning single “Hotel California” is a touchstone of 1970s rock, with one of the era’s most memorable guitar solos capping a musical tale of being lured into a glitzy, mysterious hotel where “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.” Theories about its meaning abound Henley has said it’s about excess and a dark side of the American dream. He thanked prosecutors for bringing a case that exposes “the truth about music memorabilia sales of highly personal, stolen items hidden behind a facade of legitimacy.” The writings are “irreplaceable pieces of musical history” and “an integral part of the legacy Don Henley has created over the course of his 50-plus-year career,” longtime Eagles manager Irving Azoff said in a statement. The trove of documents included Henley’s notes and lyrics for “Hotel California” and two other singles from that eponymous, blockbuster album: “Life in the Fast Lane” and “New Kid In Town.” Prosecutors valued the material at over $1 million.

“Despite six years of investigating the case, the DA hasn’t included a single factual allegation in the indictment showing that my client did anything wrong,” she said in a statement. “The DA’s office alleges criminality where none exists and unfairly tarnishes the reputations of well-respected professionals,” defense attorneys Antonia Apps, Jonathan Bach and Stacey Richman said in a statement vowing to “fight these unjustified charges vigorously.”Īpps, who represents Kosinski, later called the charges “the weakest criminal case I have seen in my entire career,” characterizing it as a “civil dispute” over ownership. Their lawyers insist the men are innocent. Kosinski and Inciardi were also charged with criminal possession of stolen property, and Horowitz was charged with attempted criminal possession of stolen property and two counts of hindering prosecution. Through their lawyers, rock auctioneer Edward Kosinski and co-defendants Glenn Horowitz and Craig Inciardi pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges.

Writer in the dark lyrics