Christine McVie, whose vocals and talent on the keyboard helped define the signature sound of the Fleetwood Mac rock band, died on Wednesday, November 30, at the age of 79.
The band announced her death on their social media accounts but did not immediately give her cause of death or any other details. However, McVie’s family said that the vocalist had died peacefully in the hospital after a short illness, with family around her.
Fleetwood Mac paid tribute to their fellow band member, writing that they lacked words to describe their sadness after her death. The band praised her talent, saying that she was the best musician anyone could have in their band. They concluded their statement by saying they were thankful for all their memories with McVie and would miss her.
McVie, whose soulful voice graced classic hits like “You Make Loving Fun,” “Don’t Stop,” and “Everywhere,” joined the pop band in 1970 and played alongside her ex-husband John McVie.
While speaking to RollingStone earlier this year, she responded to questions about a band reunion, saying she did not think she was up for it physically. She told the reporter that her health was deteriorating and she had chronic back problems. She said that even though her mind was willing to go on tour, her body was not up to the challenge.
McVie was born in Great Britain, in a small village called Bouth, in 1943 as Christine Anne Perfect. She had a musical family, with her father being a concert violinist and a music teacher. Her grandfather was an organ player at Westminster Abbey.
She attended an art school in Birmingham at the Moseley School of Art and became a musical artist in the late 1960s when she started playing the piano for the blues band Chicken Shack. She married John McVie, the Fleetwood Mac bassist, in 1968 and eventually joined the rock band two years later.
Her first album with the band was the 1971 “Future Games” album, which saw her vocals significantly influence the band’s sound. Her bandmates Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks shared lead singing duties and keyboards.
Fleetwood Mac released the album “Rumors” in 1977 after the McVie’s divorce in 1976. Some of the album’s best-selling singles of all time included McVie’s contributions, including “Songbird,” rumored to be about an affair she had with the lighting director.
Even after their divorce, Christine and John McVie remained bandmates. Although she continued to record with the band, she released three solo albums, including a self-titled 1984 album that peaked at number 26 on Billboard 200.
In 1986, Christine McVie married the band’s keyboardist Eddy Quintela, but they divorced in 2003. She also rejoined the band to record the live album “The Dance,” which became an instant hit and topped the charts in 1997 when it was released.
In the early 2000s, McVie took a break from the band, but she eventually rejoined in 2014. She and the band went on multiple tours in recent years.
She told RollingStone in June that she thoroughly enjoyed what she was doing.