The Heart-Wrenching Death Of Christine McVie
English musician and songwriter Christine McVie, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac, died on November 30, according to an official post from the band on Twitter. "There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie," Fleetwood Mac's tweet read. In their post announcing McVie's death, Fleetwood Mac said McVie "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."As BBC News reported, McVie died peacefully in a hospital surrounded by family after a short illness. McVie's exact cause of death was not revealed. According to Smooth Radio, McVie was born in Lancashire, England on July 12, 1943, making her 79 years old when she died.
McVie, then Christine Perfect, joined Fleetwood Mac in 1971. At that time she was married to Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie. On the news of Christine's death, the McVie family released a statement: "[W]e 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," the family's statement read (via BBC News).
TMZ reports that McVie left Fleetwood Mac in 1998 over fear of flying. McView returned to the band in 2014. In addition to her work with Fleetwood Mac, McVie released a number of solo projects (via AllMusic).
McVie wrote several of Fleetwood Mac's most well-known songs
Also according to BBC News, McVie penned several of Fleetwood Mac's most well-known hits, including "Little Lies," "Everywhere," "Don't Stop," "Say You Love Me," and "Songbird." An English-American band, Fleetwood Mac's smash hit 1977 album "Rumours" is among the best-selling records in history, and the music was inspired in part by Christine and John McVie's divorce, as well as the end of Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nick's relationship, two other well-known Fleetwood Mac members.
BBC News said that at the time of McVie's death, "Rumours" had sold in excess of 40 million copies worldwide. Fleetwood Mac was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, and according to the Hall of Fame website, McVie performed with the band at the induction ceremony. Including McVie, the last time the so-called "Rumours" lineup of Fleetwood Mac performed together was a brief set in 2018 at Radio City Music Hall for a MusicCares benefit, according to Rolling Stone.
In their tweet announcing McVie's death, Fleetwood Mac added that "Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. She will be so very missed." The McVie family's statement went on to add (via TMZ), "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."
McVie was well respected in the music community
After McVie's death was announced, musicians and fans took to Twitter to express their grief and share their condolences. In a tweet, Canadian music journalist Eric Alper wrote, "You don't have to have gone through a breakup to understand Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. But it helps. Rest in peace, Christine McVie." Singer Tim Burgess, best known as the front man for the English group the Charlatans, posted (via Twitter), "A beautiful voice and such a brilliant musician and songwriter too Christine McVie," alongside McVie performance footage. In response to Fleetwood Mac's announcement, McVie fan @Beauchandler12 wrote, "I am listening to Songbird now and just crying. I'm so thankful for her, y'all in the band, and the fact that I got to hear her sing this song at so many of Fleetwood Mac concerts. 'and I love you, I love you, I love you, like never before,'" he wrote, quoting lyrics.
According to Smooth Radio, after her divorce from John McVie she was engaged to Dennis Wilson from The Beach Boys. In the mid 1980s, McVie married keyboardist Eddy Quintela, but the couple divorced in 2003. McVie had no children. Smooth Radio quotes McVie as saying, "There were never any children (for me). There was always a career in the way ... It was a case of one or the other, and Stevie (Nicks) would say the same. The lads went off and had children but for Stevie and I it was a bit difficult to do that. So that was never able to happen. And I never found the right man. Not through want of trying."