After the Eagles disbanded in 1980, Henley pursued a solo career and released his debut studio album I Can't Stand Still, in 1982.

His solo tracks include "Dirty Laundry", "The Boys of Summer", "All She Wants to Do Is Dance", "Sunset Grill", "New York Minute", "Not Enough Love in the World", "The End of the Innocence", "The Last Worthless Evening" and "The Heart of the Matter".

[17] "Witchy Woman", which was co-written with Leadon, was his first commercially successful song,[20] while "Desperado" marks the beginning of his songwriting partnership with Frey.

[21] Henley sang lead vocals on many of the band's popular songs, including "Desperado", "Witchy Woman", "Best of My Love", "One of These Nights", "Hotel California", "The Long Run", "Life in the Fast Lane" and "Wasted Time".

Under the statute, enacted to free actors from long-term studio deals, entertainers cannot be forced to work for any company for more than seven years.

[43] Henley eventually became an outspoken advocate for musicians' rights, taking a stand against music labels who he believes refuse to pay bands their due royalties.

During the hiatus, Henley recorded a cover of "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" for the film Leap of Faith, and provided the background vocals for country star Trisha Yearwood's hit single "Walkaway Joe",[citation needed] and duetted with Patty Smyth on "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough",[46] and Roger Waters on "Watching TV" on Waters' Amused to Death album, in 1992.

[48] Henley and Courtney Love testified at a California Senate hearing on that state's contractual laws in Sacramento on September 5, 2001.

[49] Henley says the group seeks to change the fundamental rules that govern most recording contracts, including copyright ownership, long-term control of intellectual property and unfair accounting practices.

This group filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the Napster case,[50] urging District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel not to accept the industry's broad claims of works made for hire authorship.

[51] In 2000, after 11 years, Henley released another solo album titled Inside Job which peaked at number 7 on the Billboard 200 and contained the new singles "Taking You Home", "Everything Is Different Now", "Workin' It" and "For My Wedding".

In 1993, a compilation album titled Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles was released, with a portion of the royalties from the sales going to the Walden Woods Project.

In 2005, he had a fundraiser concert with Elton John and others to buy Brister's Hill,[59] part of Walden Woods, and turn it into a hiking trail.

[60] Henley co-founded the non-profit Caddo Lake Institute (CLI) in 1993 with Dwight K. Shellman to underwrite ecological education and research.

As part of the Caddo Lake Coalition, CLI helps protect the Texas wetland where Henley spent much of his childhood.

The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty that provides a framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

[60] In 2000, Henley co-founded the Recording Artists' Coalition, a group founded to protect musicians' rights against common music industry business practices.

[67] Henley's liberal political leanings led to tension with guitarist Bernie Leadon when he submitted the song "I Wish You Peace" for inclusion on One of These Nights.

Henley was not thrilled that the song was co-written by Patti Davis, who was the daughter of Ronald Reagan, the Republican governor of California at that time.

[69] In a fundraiser hosted by Matthew McConaughey to raise money for Texans affected by the snowstorms in February 2021, Henley performed "Snow", which was written by Jesse Winchester.

The show premiered on March 21, 2021. Henley remarked "On that bitter cold Tuesday of February 16th, we had a busted pipe at the attic at my house, and me and my family were shoveling and bailing for 8 or 9 hours there.

Henley noted that "I think that each and every one of us has a duty to help care for our natural environment, even if it's something as simple as not throwing your fast-food wrapper out the car window.

According to research conducted by music producer and teacher Rick Beato, Henley has been responsible for manual takedowns of instructional videos teaching how to play Eagles songs despite such educational material falling under fair use protections.

[77] In 1974, Henley became involved with Lorelei Shellist, and the breakup of their relationship was the inspiration for the song "Wasted Time" and parts of the lyrics for "Hotel California".

[78][79] Late in 1975, Henley started dating Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks as her relationship with Lindsey Buckingham came to an end.

[84][better source needed] Performers at the wedding included Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Billy Joel, John Fogerty, Jackson Browne, Sheryl Crow, Glenn Frey, and Tony Bennett.

In 2012, Henley was estimated to be the fourth-wealthiest drummer in the world (behind Ringo Starr, Phil Collins, and Dave Grohl), with a combined fortune of $200 million.

[82] In February 2024, ahead of another criminal trial in New York over the alleged theft of Henley’s original handwritten lyrics for many Eagles hits,[88] Judge Curtis Farber sided with attorneys for the two young female defendants arrested for prostitution and drug use.

A while later, officers from the Los Angeles Police Department's Sexually Exploited Child Unit arrived and placed Henley and the girl under arrest.

[91] During the trial testimony, Henley described the incident leading to his arrest as "a poor decision which I regret to this day,” stating that he sought an "escape" due to the depression he developed after the Eagles' recent breakup.