Christine McVie, Keyboardist and Singer for Fleetwood Mac, Dead at 79

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Christine McVie, Keyboardist and Singer for Fleetwood Mac, Dead at 79

From Rolling Stone

CHRISTINE MCVIE, THE longtime co-lead vocalist, keyboardist, and songwriter for Fleetwood Mac, died Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the age of 79. A cause of death was not available, but McVie’s family said she died at a hospital “following a short illness.”

The band confirmed McVie’s death in a note shared on social media. “There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie. She was truly 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 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.”

In its statement, McVie’s family said, “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, and revered musician who was loved universally. RIP Christine McVie.”

McVie joined Fleetwood Mac in 1970. She went on to write (and co-write) some of the band’s most memorable songs, including the Rumours classics “Don’t Stop” and “You Make Loving Fun,” as well as “Hold Me,” “Little Lies,” and “Over My Head.” Though she stuck with the band through tumultuous years, especially during the early Nineties, she left the group after their big 1998 reunion tour. After a lengthy hiatus off the stage and out of the public eye, she returned to Fleetwood Mac in 2014 and was playing with them as recently as 2019.

Throughout her tenure in Fleetwood Mac, McVie was the calm eye in the middle of the storm that was the rest of the band. “That is apparently true, but I didn’t realize that at the time,” she quipped in an interview with Rolling Stone earlier this year. “Yes, I was supposedly like the Mother Teresa who would hang out with everybody or just try and [keep] everything nice and cool and relaxed. But they were great people; they were great friends.”

McVie was born Christine Anne Perfect on July 12, 1943. Her father was a concert violinist and music professor; her mother a psychic medium and faith healer. Perfect started playing piano as a child, studying classical music until she was a teenager, at which point her interests turned to blues and rock and roll.

She played in a variety of bands during the Sixties, forming the most notable one, Chicken Shack, with Andy Silvester and Stan Webb, in 1968. Chicken Shack released a pair of albums with Perfect — 40 Blue Fingers, Freshly Packed and Ready to Serve and O.K. Ken — and her rendition of Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind” cracked the Top 20 in the U.K. in 1969. Perfect left the group after O.K. Ken and released a self-titled solo record in 1970.

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