Peter Green, Fleetwood Mac Co-Founder, Dead at 73

One of the co-founders of the legendary band Fleetwood Mac has died. The Sun reports Peter Green, a guitarist and one of the founding members of Fleetwood Mac, has died at the age of 73. The publication further states the musician died peacefully in his sleep.

Green’s family released a statement about the news through Swan Turton lawyers. Their statement read, “It is with great sadness that the family of Peter Green announce his death this weekend, peacefully in his sleep.” They added that they would provide an additional statement in the upcoming days. Green was originally from Bethnal Green, East London. In addition to being a guitarist, he was also a blues-rock singer and songwriter. He founded Fleetwood Mac alongside drummer Mick Fleetwood in 1967. Green was one of eight members of the band, which included Fleetwood, Stevia Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie, Christine McVie, Danny Kirwan, and Jeremy Spencer. They were all inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame back in 1998, according to the Daily Mail.

Green ultimately left the band in 1970. The Daily Mail noted that he struggled with drug abuse over the years and that he was later diagnosed with schizophrenia. Even though he did deal with some struggles, his former bandmate Fleetwood couldn’t help but honor Green’s legacy during an interview with the Irish Times, which was published in March of 2017. During the interview, Fleetwood said that there simply would not be Fleetwood Mac if there was no Green. “For his legacy, I think it’s important we remember that Fleetwood Mac was, first and foremost, a blues band,” Fleetwood told the publication. “We all played and loved blues. And long after Peter left, we went to Chess Records in Chicago, where we recorded with Willie Dixon and Buddy Guy. Can you imagine how that made us feel? Such an incredible experience could not have happened without Peter because, even though he wasn’t with us, the reason there’s a Fleetwood Mac at all is because of him.”

Fleetwood continued to comment on Green’s style, explaining that the guitarist was the one to name the band after the rhythm section. “Peter could have been the stereotypical superstar guitar player and control freak,” he added. “But that wasn’t his style. He named the band after the bass player and drummer, for Christ’s sake. He was also always willing to give as much space and creative freedom to other members, like guitarist Jeremy Spencer, and songwriter Danny Kirwan, at the expense of his own creativity.”