Stephen Colbert Thanks Eagles’ Glenn Frey for Helping Him Become a Man

Following the passing of The Eagles’ Glenn Frey on Jan. 18, Stephen Colbert paid homage to the rock legend Tuesday night on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert by remembering the artist’s impact on his own personal history.

No, they weren’t close pals, but Frey did set Colbert on the path to “manhood” by the late-night host’s reckoning.

“I want to take a moment to thank Glenn Frey for what he gave me,” said Colbert. “What he gave me was the song ‘Desperado.’ The first slow dance I ever danced to was ‘Desperado.’ It was the 8th grade dance … .”

Colbert went on to describe a scenario familiar to nearly anyone: a grade-school dance where the girls and boys are on opposite ends of the gym until a plucky pubescent boy (Colbert) goes up and invites a girl to dance at the absolute last minute.

She says yes, and the moment is forever captured in their hearts with the addition of a perfect song — in this case, The Eagles’ “Desperado.”

“It was one of the sweetest, most beautiful experiences of my life,” said Colbert.

Related Stories

Related Story

Why Glenn Frey Was the Eagles' Backbone (Guest Column)

Watch Colbert reminisce below.

This article originally appeared on Billboard.com.