Joe Walsh joined the Eagles in 1975, just as the “Hotel California” mania was getting started. He built a strong, long-lasting career as the band’s guitarist and keyboardist. Nonetheless, the guitarist experienced possibly the worst experience a person could have before becoming a longtime member of the band.
He had a daughter named Emma during his marriage to Stefany Rhodes, which lasted from 1971 to 1978. Emma was born during their first year of marriage. Emma was sadly just three years old when Stefany was involved in an automobile accident while traveling to their regular playground, North Boulder Park, with her daughter. The three-year-old toddler suffered severe head injuries as a result of the negligent driver’s failure to stop at the stop sign.
That day, Emma had a severe head injury, and the next evening, she was removed from the life support system. Her parents began experiencing trauma that would last a lifetime after her organs were given. Walsh was returning from a tour when he received the devastating news that he would never again see his daughter.
The couple’s separation and eventual divorce were brought on by this tragedy. Both of them experienced loss and grieved it in unique ways. But, Walsh’s anguish did not manifest until he started writing songs about his emotions and finding resolution in his brain. In 1974, he published “Song For Emma” as an ode to his daughter. The musician discussed his emotions following Emma’s passing, his marriage, and how they are related to this song in a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone. He was enraged with God and unconcerned with his own life.
He said as follows:
“At the time, I was married and residing in Boulder. Our four-year-old daughter was being driven to school by my wife when a woman ran a stop sign and slammed into our car. Moreover, I lost my daughter. And it was bloody and all. I composed this song for her in order to help them achieve closure.
My wife and I simply lacked the strength to get through the sadness over the course of the following year, and as a result, we eventually got divorced and separated. But, I met a girl there, and my song “Help Me Through the Night” was a request to her to be there for me. She was there because she knew I was a mess and needed to grieve over Emma.
These two tracks can be found on my next album, “So What.” I gave it that name since I had a “so what” mentality. I was enraged. I was furious with God. And I thought that was a really good excuse to drink. “Bless me. God removed my daughter. I thus developed a mindset that said, “This is the worst thing that has ever happened.” It doesn’t matter to me what. merely to support the idea that making mistakes was OK.
Walsh began to give in to bad habits, seeing booze and drugs as a safe refuge. He was romantic nevertheless, and in North Boulder Park he created a fountain in her honor.
He took Stevie Nicks there when they first started dating, and they shared a bond over the loss. He served as the inspiration for Nick’s song “Has Anybody Ever Written Anything for You,” and their relationship was built on intoxication and drug use.
The couple separated because they would support each other’s addictions although knowing it was wrong to do so. Nicks identified the day at the fountain as a time of connection, describing Walsh as the love of her life and the one man she truly believed she could marry.
The fountain’s foundation eroded over time as a result of vandalism. Although 47 years have gone since Emma’s passing and no plans exist to repair it, he still thinks about her often.
