Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie dies aged 79, family reveal

Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie dies aged 79: Singer-songwriter with legendary band famed as much for their fractious relationships as their music – passes away surrounded by her family following ‘short illness’

  • Christine McVie, co-lead vocalist and keyboardist of Fleetwood Mac, has died 
  • McVie’s family said she was ‘a revered musician who was loved universally’
  • Her former bandmates said tonight they’re devastated by the tragic loss 

Christine McVie, the co-lead vocalist and keyboardist of Fleetwood Mac, has died aged 79 following a ‘short illness’, her family have revealed.

In a statement, McVie’s family said she was ‘a revered musician who was loved universally’. 

‘She passed away peacefully at hospital this morning, Wednesday, November 30th 2022, following a short illness. She was in the company of her family.

‘We kindly ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this extremely painful time and we would like everyone to keep Christine in their hearts and remember the life of an incredible human being.’

Her former bandmates said tonight they’re devastated by the loss, describing her as ‘the best friend anyone could have in their life’.

Christine McVie, the co-lead vocalist and keyboardist of Fleetwood Mac, has died aged 79 following a ‘short illness’, her family have revealed

Her former bandmates said tonight they’re devastated by the loss, describing her as ‘the best friend anyone could have in their life’. (Pictured left to right, John McVie, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, and Lindsey Buckingham)

Christine McVie, the co-lead vocalist and keyboardist of Fleetwood Mac, has died aged 79, her family have revealed

https://youtube.com/watch?v=WxVsqngf9yE%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

‘She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure… She was the best musician anyone could have in their band. We were so lucky to have a life with her.

‘Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. She will be so very missed.’ 

Stevie Nicks shared the statement to her own Twitter account this evening. 

The British-American rock band was one of the most successful groups of all time, selling 100 million records globally. 

McVie joined the band in 1971 as a permanent member and retired from touring in 1998 after the death of her father. 

She had a successful solo career and returned to the stage alongside her former bandmates in 2013 after a long 15-year hiatus.

Looking back on that time away from the stage, McVie said earlier this year she needed to embrace the English countryside and take a step back from the constant chaos of being on the road. 

But she started to get the itch to perform again and reached out to Mick Fleetwood to propose a potential reunion. 

McVie opened up earlier this year about her ‘thrilling’ years in the band

Stevie Nicks shared the statement to her own Twitter account this evening. Pictured: McVie and Nicks together in 1987

Christine McVie, the co-lead vocalist and keyboardist of Fleetwood Mac, has died aged 79, her family have revealed

The group performed to rapturous applause and it was officially announced a short time later that McVie had rejoined the band. 

McVie opened up earlier this year about her ‘thrilling’ years in the band in an interview with The Guardian. 

I always took good care of myself,’ she said. ‘My drug of choice was cocaine and champagne. I didn’t use any other drugs at all. It’s easy for me to say, but I think it made me perform better.

‘Stevie was the Welsh witch. I was mother nature. Mick was the raving lunatic. Everyone was very different, but we all got on, for the most part. In those days it was just all good clean fun.’

This is a developing story. More to come 

Fleetwood Mac described McVie as as ‘the best friend anyone could have in their life’

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