The Eagles’ Glenn Frey is Universal Music Publishing Group’s newest signee, it was announced today in a statement. The deal is for worldwide — excluding the United States — exclusive publishing rights to Frey’s catalog.

Frey, a member of both the Rock and Songwriter Halls of Fame and a six-time Grammy winner, was the principal songwriter of some of The Eagles’ most well-known songs, including “Hotel California,” “Desperado,” and “Best of My Love.”

“It’s an honor for Universal Music Publishing to be representing Glenn’s catalog. He is arguably one of the most culturally significant special songwriters any generation has seen,” wrote UMPG, North America president Evan Lamberg in a statement.

“We look forward to our partnership with Evan Lamberg and everyone at Universal Music Publishing Group,” said Irving Azoff. “Great songs need a publisher that truly understands and appreciates their value and we’ve found that with UMPG,” said Irving Azoff.

The Eagles have been certified as having sold 100 million albums in the U.S., according to the Recording Industry of America. Their album Eagles/Their Greatest Hits is tied with Michael Jackson’s Thriller as the highest-certified album in history, with 29 million units sold. [Billboard.biz]