Christine McVie Dead at 79: Stevie Nicks Mourns Fleetwood Mac Bandmate

Christine McVie, who wrote dozens of classic songs as a member of Fleetwood Mac, died on Wednesday. The music world, including her bandmates, is in mourning. Stevie Nicks remembered McVie as her “best friend in the whole world” since they first met in 1975. McVie was 79.

In a handwritten note Nicks shared on Instagram, the “Edge of Seventeen” singer wrote that she did not even know McVie was ill until Saturday night. She wanted to fly to London to be with her close friend but was told to wait. “So, since Saturday, one song has been swirling around in my head, over and over and over,” Nicks wrote. “I thought I might possibly get to sing it to her, and so, I’m singing it to her now. I always knew I would need these words one day.” The song was surprisingly not one written by McVie or herself. It was Haim’s “Hallelujah.”

Nicks wrote out some of the lyrics from the song before adding one more message to McVie. “See you on the other side, my love,” she wrote. “Don’t forget me. Always, Stevie.”

McVie’s family announced the musician’s death on Wednesday. She died peacefully at a hospital “following a short illness,” with her family surrounding her. “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,” the statement read.

The surviving members of Fleetwood Mac also released a joint statement. “We were so lucky to have a life with her,” they wrote in part. “Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. She will be so very missed.”

McVie joined Fleetwood Mac in 1970, a year after she married bassist John McVie, who is the “Mac” in the band’s name. McVie and John divorced in 1976, following the chaotic recording of Rumours and the tour to support the album. McVie wrote or co-wrote many of the group’s best-known hits, including “Say You Love Me,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Songbird,” “Don’t Stop,” “Hold Me,” “Little Lies” and “Everywhere.” The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. McVie also released three solo albums and recorded an album with former Fleetwood Mac member Lindsey Buckingham in 2017. Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie was her last release of new material before her death.