Christine McVie Dies at 79

Definitely not the obituary I wanted to read today -- or ever. Few musical artists have brought as much joy as Fleetwood Mac did. Truly the end of an era. So grateful I got to see the full classic lineup in concert before personality conflicts once against tore them apart. Christine penned many of the band's biggest hits -- and released a few good solo records. But for whatever reason, "Love in Store" was always a favorite of mine. RIP, Miss Perfect. 

(P.S. Shocked to read of the two women in Fleetwood Mac, her mother was a psychic!) 

 

Best part of her NYT obituary: 

Just over a year and a half later, the group released “Rumours,” which generated outsize interest not only for its trio of Top 10 hits (two of them written by Ms. McVie) but also for several highly dramatic behind-the-scenes events within the band’s ranks, which they aired out in the lyrics and openly discussed in the press. During the creation of the album, the two couples in the band — Ms. Nicks and Mr. Buckingham and the married McVies — broke up. 

Ms. McVie’s song “You Make Lovin’ Fun” celebrated an affair she was then having with the band’s lighting director. (At first, she told Mr. McVie that the song was about her dog.) The optimistic-sounding “Don’t Stop” was intended to point her ex-husband toward a new life without her. 

“We wrote those songs despite ourselves,” Ms. McVie told Mojo. “It was a therapeutic move. The only way we could get this stuff out was to say it, and it came out in a way that was difficult. Imagine trying to sing those songs onstage with the people you’re singing them about.”

Read the BBC obit, statements from Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham (separate, natch) and a heartfelt post by Chris Isaak about the songbird HERE.

BBC News reports:

Christine McVie, who played with Fleetwood Mac and wrote some of their most famous songs, has died aged 79, her family has said.

The British singer-songwriter was behind hits including Little Lies, Everywhere, Don't Stop, Say You Love Me, and Songbird.

She died peacefully at a hospital in the company of her family, a statement said.

McVie left Fleetwood Mac after 28 years in 1998 but returned in 2014.

The family's statement said "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".

Born Christine Perfect, McVie married Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie and joined the group in 1971.

Fleetwood Mac was one of the world's best known rock bands in the 1970s and '80s.

Their 1977 album Rumours - inspired by the break-ups of the McVies and the band's other couple, Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks - became one of the biggest selling of all time, with more than 40 million copies sold worldwide.

A statement by the band said of McVie: "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."

The "Wicked Game" crooner writes:

A great woman is gone. I was talking about her and her amazing music just a day before hearing she had passed away. I was on my tour bus and the band started talking about Christine’s music. Unanimous fans, my drummer Kenney remembered, “I’ll never forget that Chinese dinner we had in London with her. She was so humble…so modest. So sweet.” I was at that dinner and I remembered it the same way. Her kindness was no surprise to me. 

Years before, on my first trip to Paris, I had bumped into Christine as I was coming back to my hotel. Her limo was parked out front and she rolled down the window and asked me, “don’t you love Paris?!” And I confessed, I hadn’t seen anything. My record company had kept me sequestered in a room doing interviews every day. She looked shocked and asked, “did you at least see the Eiffel Tower? Or Notre Dame?” I answered, “nothing.” She said, “get in.” 

I got in her car and she drove me all around Paris pointing out all of the sights. I’ll never forget that act of kindness. I still can’t look at Paris without smiling. Later on, I would go see her on stage being a rock star in Fleetwood Mac, but I always felt I had seen a glimpse of who she really was. She was a wonderful woman. I miss her. I’m gonna put on her music now. She lives.

Oh, Stevie. So help me God: If anyone ever tries to memorialize me by quoiting a HAIM, I will haunt them in their dreams!

Lindsey's statement, from HERE.