Photo: Christine McVie (from her Facebook page) | By Lyndsey Parker, Yahoo Music | Singer- songwriter and keyboardist Christine McVie — best known for her long tenure in the massively successful classic rock band Fleetwood Mac, and for penning some of their most iconic radio hits, including “Don’t Stop,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Say You Love Me,” “Hold Me,” “Everywhere,”and “Little Lies” — has died at age 79.
The news was announced Wednesday via Facebook, with a statement that read: “On behalf of Christine McVie’s family, it is with a heavy heart we are informing you of Christine’s death. She passed away peacefully at 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.”
Fleetwood Mac also released their own official statement, shared on social media: “There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie. 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
McVie was born Christine Anne Perfect July 12, 1943m in Lancashire, England, and was raised in a musical family that included her father, a violin teacher, and grandfather, an organist at Westminster Abbey. She began studying music seriously as age 11, and eventually became immersed in the Britain’s burgeoning blues scene while attending art college, joining the Birmingham band Sounds of Blue and performing with Spencer Davis. After Sounds of Blue broke up, she and her former bandmates, Andy Silvester and Stan Webb, started a new group, Chicken Shack, in 1967. McVie’s work with that band earned her U.K. music magazine’s Melody Maker’s Best Female Vocalist award in 1969.
Chicken Shack and the Peter Green-fronted lineup of Fleetwood Mac, of which McVie was a big fan, often crossed paths on tour and as signees to the Blue Horizon record label, and McVie was eventually hired to play piano as a session musician on the Mac albums Mr. Wonderful and Then Play On. She married Mac bassist John McVie in 1968, and left Chicken Shack a year later. In 1970, she released her first solo album, Christine Perfect. That same year, she contributed backup vocals/keyboards to and painted the cover art for Kiln House, the first Fleetwood Mac album released after Green’s departure. Shortly thereafter she joined Fleetwood Mac full-time; her first album as an official band member was 1971’s Future Games.
In 1974, the McVies moved with Fleetwood Mac to America, with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham soon joining to form what many consider to be the group’s classic lineup. This lineup’s 1975 self-titled album went seven times platinum, with the Christine-penned singles “Say You Love Me” and “Over My Head” cracking the Billboard top 20. The follow-up, Rumours, was an even bigger success, selling more than 40 million copies worldwide. Among Christine’s contributions to that album were “The Chain,” which she co-wrote with Buckingham, Nicks, John McVie, and drummer Mick Fleetwood, and the solo contributions “Songbird” (a longtime concert favorite, often played during Mac’s encores), “You Make Loving Fun,” and “Don’t Stop.” The latter was her biggest hit, peaking at No. 3, and was used as the theme song for Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign; Fleetwood Mac performed it at Clinton’s inaugural ball in 1993.
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Along with her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Fleetwood Mac, among McVie’s many honors were two Grammy Awards, the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, a Gold Badge of Merit Award from the Ivors Academy, an Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Trailblazer Award at the U.K. Americana Awards.
Read the full story here:
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/fleetwood-macs-christine-mc-vie-dead-at-age-79-211235140.html
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Stevie Nicks Pens Touching Tribute to Fleetwood Mac Bandmate and ‘Best Friend’ Christine McVie
By Jem Aswad, Variety | Read the story and tribute here:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/stevie-nicks-pens-touching-tribute-to-fleetwood-mac-bandmate-and-best-friend-christine-mcvie/ar-AA14KRnv?li=BBnb2gh
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OTHER NOTABLE MUSICIANS’ DEATHS
If you want to know more about any of the musicians we lost, please check them out at http://www.wikipedia.com
November 2022
30: Christine McVie (See ‘In Memoriam’ obit), 79, English Hall of Fame musician (Fleetwood Mac) and songwriter (“Don’t Stop”, “Everywhere”).
28: Galit Borg, 54, Israeli singer (Eurovision Song Contest 1989), traffic collision; Jenny McLeod, 81, New Zealand composer and music theorist.
26: Henrie Adams, 68, Dutch orchestral conductor; Jake Flint*, 37, American Red Dirt singer- songwriter; Marcel Lefebvre, 81, Canadian screenwriter (The Rebels, There’s Always a Way to Find a Way), composer, and lyricist; Louise Tobin, 104, American jazz singer.
* https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/30/entertainment/jake-flint-musician-death-oklahoma/index.html
25: Irene Cara (See ‘In Memoriam’ obit), 63, American singer (“Flashdance… What a Feeling”) and actress (Sparkle, Fame), Oscar winner (1983); Charles Koppelman, 82, American music executive (EMI) and co-founder of SBK Records; Don Newkirk, 56, American musician, composer and record producer; Sammie Okposo, 51, Nigerian gospel singer.
23: Shel Macrae, 77, British singer and guitarist (The Fortunes) (death announced on this date).
22: Erasmo Carlos, 81, Brazilian singer-songwriter (“Sentado à Beira do Caminho”), kidney disease; Romeo Lahoud, 91, Lebanese theatre director and composer; Pablo Milanés, 79, Cuban singer-songwriter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths_in_2022
Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie Dead at Age 79 // Other Notable Musicians’ Deaths
