Christine McVie, the amazingly talented vocalist-keyboardist who filled such Fleetwood Mac classics as “Say You Love Me” and “You Make Loving Fun” with a seemingly effortless sense of stylish coolness, has died at the age of 79.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who was enshrined as a member of the band in 1998, “passed away peacefully” on the morning of Nov. 30 according to a statement from the family that was posted on McVie’s Twitter account.
“On behalf of Christine McVie’s family, it is with a heavy heart we are informing you of Christine’s death,” the post read. “She passed away peacefully at (a) 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, and revered musician who was loved universally. RIP Christine McVie.”
Rest In Peace Christine McVie pic.twitter.com/sJwlqgsBLw
— Christine McVie (@christine_mcvie) November 30, 2022
News of McVie’s death was also made public via Fleetwood Mac’s social media accounts.
“There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie,” the band tweeted. “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.”
— Fleetwood Mac (@fleetwoodmac) November 30, 2022
Born July 12, 1943, in Bouth, Lancashire, England, McVie joined Fleetwood Mac in 1970 and helped propel the band to commercial and artistic heights seen by very few other acts. However, her first five records with the band — “Future Games,” “Bare Trees,” “Penguin,” “Mystery to Me” and “Heroes Are Hard to Find” — wouldn’t make much noise on the charts. Then a couple of Bay Area musicians — Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham — enlisted in the cause and Fleetwood Mac would shoot straight to No. 1 with its self-titled 10th album of 1975.
What came next was nothing short of one of the biggest albums of all time, as Fleetwood Mac released “Rumours” in 1977 and it went on to sell some 20 million copies in the U.S. alone, with that total doubling when taking worldwide sales into account.
McVie was a huge part of the reason behind that success, as she soulfully handled the lead vocals for the “Fleetwood Mac” hits “Over My Head” and “Say You Love Me” and the “Rumours” smashes “You Make Loving Fun” and “Don’t Stop” (sung as a duet with Buckingham).
She continued to deliver great work on the Fleetwood Mac studio albums that followed, crooning the top 20 hit “Think About Me” on 1979’s double-LP opus “Tusk” and another stand-out duet with Buckingham, “Hold Me,” from 1982’s Mirage.”
Christine McVie left the band in 1998, but returned to the fold at the end of 2013 in time to embark on another Fleetwood Mac trek. The massive 120-date On With the Show trek stretched some 14 months in 2014-15 and drew rave reviews from folks who were delighted to see McVie back onstage with her fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famers.
“When I kind of rejoined the band, I think it sort of rejuvenated the whole thing. I think people were just excited to see the five (of us) play again,” McVie said in a 2017 interview with this newspaper. “Yeah, we’re going through a really good phase right now. And, it’s possible that won’t last forever — it can’t, you know?
“As long as we can do another couple of world tours — I definitely would think I would be too long in the tooth after that. But, still, you never know.”
Thinking back to the crazy days of the ’70s, McVie admits that she never thought Fleetwood Mac would still be going strong so many decades later.
“Not a chance,” McVie said in the interview. “I didn’t even think I would go back to Fleetwood Mac when I left. I thought I was retiring. I blew myself away when I decided to come back — and they wanted me back. Life’s a funny thing.”
The musician, who was married to Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie from 1969 to 1976, also managed a successful solo career, highlighted by the Top 40-charting eponymous outing “Christine McVie” in 1984. “Songbird,” a collection of her solo recordings, was released earlier this year.
In 2017, she combined forces with Buckingham once again and released the duo album “Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie,” which received strong reviews and debuted at No. 17 on the Billboard 200.
“I just love working with him,” McVie said of Buckingham in that 2017 interview. “I think he brings out the best in me. And I — to some extent — bring out the best in him.”
The pair ended up touring in support of the album and performed a 90-minute set at the San Jose Civic on Oct. 14, 2017. (Read our review of that show here.)
