One of the most unique voices in rock music history is now silent. Christine McVie, vocalist and keyboardist for Fleetwood Mac, has passed away at the age of 79.
The BBC reports that she died peacefully and surrounded by family at a hospital.
“We kindly ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this extremely painful time,” her family said in a statement, “and we would like everyone to keep Christine in their hearts and remember the life of an incredible human being, and revered musician who was loved universally.”
Fleetwood Mac released a statement via its official Twitter page.
— Fleetwood Mac (@fleetwoodmac) November 30, 2022
Fleetwood Mac bandmates posted tributes of their own.
— Mick Fleetwood (@MickFleetwood) November 30, 2022
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McVie, born Christine Perfect, joined Fleetwood Mac in 1971 after she married founding bassist John McVie. The tumultuous McVie marriage became part of the fuel for the creation of the band’s mega-successful, Grammy-winning album Rumours.
Christine McVie left the band in 1998 but returned in 2014. She also had a solo career that pre-dated and post-dated her time with Fleetwood Mac and included the 1984 single “Got a Hold on Me,” which made the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and, interestingly enough, topped both the rock and adult contemporary charts.
She also recorded with a band called Chicken Shack in the late ’60s and made an album with her Fleetwood Mac bandmate Lindsey Buckingham in 2017.
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