NEW YORK – Don Felder had still not given up on speaking again to Glenn Frey. The former Eagles guitarist, estranged from Frey and the other band members since he was forced out in 2001, told The Associated Press that he felt “unbelievable sorrow” when he learned of Frey’s death.

“He was kind of like the James Dean of the band, the coolest guy. He was the leader and everybody looked up to him,” Felder said Tuesday of Frey, who died Monday at age 67 after battling a variety of health problems. The two had clashed often, most memorably during a 1980 concert that led to the Eagles’ initial breakup, but Felder said he remembered Frey most for the music they made together and for the “laughter and the parties.”

“I had always hoped somewhere along the line, he and I would have dinner together, talking about old times and letting it go with a handshake and a hug.”