The Fleetwood Mac group is in mourning. Singer-songwriter Christine McVie died Wednesday at the age of 79, following a “short illness”.
A press release published on the group’s Facebook page, “on behalf of the family”, officially announced the death of the singer on Wednesday.
“She passed away peacefully in hospital this morning, following a short illness. She was with her family. We would like everyone to keep Christine in their hearts and remember the life of this incredible human being, this admirable musician loved by all, ”the message states.
Christine McVie was an essential cog in the Anglo-American band founded in the late 1960s. Her warm timbre and songs mid tempo with poignant lyrics played a crucial role in the group’s signature and added a touch of melancholy to the multi-million dollar albums recorded in the late 1970s Fleetwood Mac (1975), Rumors (1977) and tusk (1979).
In a handwritten letter, shared on Twitter on Wednesday, Fleetwood Mac’s other female voice, Stevie Nicks, explained that she had lost her “best friend in the world” since the year they met, in 1975. didn’t even know she was sick… until late Saturday evening, adds the singer, visibly affected. See you on the other side, my love. Do not forget me. »
Born Christine Perfect, the British musician made a name for herself in the late 1960s with the blues rock band Chicken Shack, with whom she recorded two albums.
In 1968, she married Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie, whose last name she kept even after their separation. She officially joined the band in 1970, after the departure of its founder Peter Green.
The only woman in a group of men, Christine McVie does not steal the show, far from it. We already find her in this role of reserved musician, hidden behind her piano, performing on occasion one of her compositions, sometimes calm, sometimes more rock. These are the dark years of the group, marked by the comings and goings of half a dozen guitarists and a very relative commercial success.
Everything changed with the group’s move to the United States (1974) and the arrival of singer Stevie Nicks and guitarist Lindsay Buckingham. The apprehended female rivalry does not take place. While the flamboyant Nicks becomes the undisputed star of the formation, the discreet Christine McVie flourishes in her supporting role.
It thus stands out as an important piece of the puzzle. During the group’s prosperous period, where successes followed one another on the charts (1975-1989), their introspective pop-rock ballads and enveloping voice served as a perfect counterpoint to the sparging of their colleagues. Pieces like Don’t Stop, oh daddy, Over My Head, You Make Loving Fun, Warm Ways, Over & Over, Honey Hi Where Brown Eyes will not have the same commercial impact as the songs of Stevie Nicks (Rihannon, dreams), but are still among Fleetwood Mac’s finest titles.
PHOTO RICHARD DREW, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Fleetwood Mac in 1978. Left to right: Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie.
After the album The Dance, released in 1998, Christine McVie leaves group life and returns to live in England, where she recycles herself in bucolic chic, writing songs for herself and renovating an old country mansion. Her retirement from Fleetwood Mac ended in 2014, when she joined the band for a new tour, before recording the album in 2017 Lindsey BuckinghamChristine McViewhich will become his last official recording and pretext for a final tour.
Christine McVie is the second member of Fleetwood Mac to die, two years after Peter Green.
It is above all the disappearance of a very personal voice. Who never sought the light, but shone because she sang from the heart.