Christine McVie, the British keyboard player and co-vocalist in Fleetwood Mac, died Wednesday. She was 79.
The band posted a statement on their official social media accounts calling her “one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure. She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life … We cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have.”
Fleetwood Mac’s representative, Kristen Foster, confirmed McVie’s death to USA TODAY.
According to McVie’s family, she “passed away peacefully at (the) hospital following a short illness.”
McVie joined Fleetwood Mac in 1970 and weathered numerous dramatic upheavals within the band the past five decades. She is the first member of the most commercially successful incarnation of the group – including her ex-husband John McVie (they were married 1968 to 1976 and remained friendly as bandmates), Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham and band founder Mick Fleetwood – to die.
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Her mellifluous vocals painted many of Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hits, including “Everywhere,” “Little Lies” and the song that closed many of the band’s concerts, “Songbird.”
Along with Fleetwood Mac, McVie was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
Shortly after their induction, the musician/singer took a lengthy reprieve from Fleetwood Mac – which she attributed to her fear of flying and panic attacks about performing – to live in the English countryside. She rejoined the band in 2014 for its On With the Show tour and returned to the stage with the Buckingham-less group in 2018 and 2019 for a worldwide run on the band’s most recent tour, An Evening With Fleetwood Mac.
This story is developing.
