Christine McVie, Fleetwood Mac songbird, dies at 79

Christine McVie, who sang lead vocals and played keyboard in Fleetwood Mac — including on some of the long-running rock band’s most enduring hits, such as “Don’t Stop,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Songbird,” “Hold Me” and “Little Lies” — died Wednesday. She was 79.

Her death was announced by her family in a statement that said she’d “passed away peacefully” at a hospital following “a short illness.”

“There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie,” Fleetwood Mac said in a separate statement. “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. Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. She will be very missed.”

Christine McVie with Fleetwood Mac in 2014.

(Arthur Mola/Invision/AP)

McVie, who’d come up playing in the British blues-rock outfit Chicken Shack, joined Fleetwood Mac — which featured her then-husband, bassist John McVie — in 1970, and quickly began reshaping the group’s sound around her smoky vocals and flair for melody; the addition a few years later of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks pushed Fleetwood Mac even further away from its bluesy roots toward the mellow soft-rock sound that would make the band one of the biggest commercial acts of the decade.

A reluctant traveler who spoke frequently of her fear of flying, McVie opted out of a Fleetwood Mac tour in 1994 and later quit the band, only to return in 2014 for a hugely successful reunion tour. Over the years she also released several solo LPs as well as a 2017 duo album with Buckingham.

This story will be updated.

Christine McVie in 1983.

(Associated Press)

Christine McVie, who sang lead vocals and played keyboard in Fleetwood Mac — including on some of the long-running rock band’s most enduring hits, such as “Don’t Stop,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Songbird,” “Hold Me” and “Little Lies” — died Wednesday. She was 79.

Her death was announced by her family in a statement that said she’d “passed away peacefully” at a hospital following “a short illness.”

“There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie,” Fleetwood Mac said in a separate statement. “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. Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. She will be very missed.”

Christine McVie with Fleetwood Mac in 2014.

(Arthur Mola/Invision/AP)

McVie, who’d come up playing in the British blues-rock outfit Chicken Shack, joined Fleetwood Mac — which featured her then-husband, bassist John McVie — in 1970, and quickly began reshaping the group’s sound around her smoky vocals and flair for melody; the addition a few years later of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks pushed Fleetwood Mac even further away from its bluesy roots toward the mellow soft-rock sound that would make the band one of the biggest commercial acts of the decade.

A reluctant traveler who spoke frequently of her fear of flying, McVie opted out of a Fleetwood Mac tour in 1994 and later quit the band, only to return in 2014 for a hugely successful reunion tour. Over the years she also released several solo LPs as well as a 2017 duo album with Buckingham.

This story will be updated.