https://www.rollingstone.com/music/m...ac-1234640008/
LAST GOODBYE
Lindsey Buckingham Remembers ‘Soul Mate’ Christine McVie in Handwritten Letter
Buckingham and McVie released a joint album, outside of their work in Fleetwood Mac, in 2017
BY TOMÁS MIER
DECEMBER 1, 2022
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 09: Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie visit the SiriusXM Studio on June 9, 2017 in New York City. CINDY ORD/GETTY IMAGES FOR SIRIUSXM
LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM IS the last of Fleetwood Mac’s star lineup to share a public tribute for his late bandmate Christine McVie. On Friday, a day after her death at age 79, Buckingham shared a handwritten note about his “musical comrade,” as he remembered the beloved Songbird‘s legacy and their chemistry.
“Christine McVie’s sudden passing is profoundly heartbreaking,” read the note, posted to Instagram. “Not only were she and I part of the magical family of Fleetwood Mac, to me Christine was a musical comrade, a friend, a soul mate, a sister.”
“For over four decades, we helped each other create a beautiful body of work and a lasting legacy that continues to resonate today,” Buckingham added. “I feel very lucky to have known her. Though she will be deeply missed, her spirit will live on through that body of work and that legacy.”
McVie, who was the co-lead-vocalist, keyboardist, and songwriter for Fleetwood Mac, died Wednesday “following a short illness,” according to her family. In an interview with Rolling Stone back in June, McVie acknowledged that she was in “quite bad health.” She said she was struggling with a “chronic back problem,” though didn’t offer any further details.
She was a member of the band during its star years, joining Fleetwood Mac in 1970. Aside from a brief reunion, she returned to the group full-time in 2014, when according to Rolling Stone‘s Rob Sheffield, “the songbird regained her hunger to write.”
Along with working together in Fleetwood Mac, McVie and Buckingham released a joint album, Buckingham McVie, in 2017, featuring songs like “In My World” and “Lay Down for Free.” The project also had background appearances from fellow Fleetwood Mac members Fleetwood Mac and John McVie but missed an appearance from Stevie Nicks.
“They bring out something impressively nasty in each other, trading off songs in the mode of 1982’s Mirage – California sunshine on the surface, but with a heart of darkness,” read a Rolling Stone review about the joint project, referring to their musical synergy as “kinky chemistry.”
Following her death Wednesday, Fleetwood Mac shared a message to fans about her passing, calling McVie “truly one-of-a-kind” 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,” read the note. “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.”
Shortly after, Stevie Nicks — like Buckingham — posted a handwritten note for her “best friend.”
“A few hours ago I was told that my best friend in the whole world since the first day of 1975, had passed away. I didn’t even know she was Ill,” Nicks wrote in the letter, which she posted on social media. “Since Saturday, one song has been swirling around in my head, over and over and over. 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.”
Nicks then quoted Haim’s “Hallelujah,” which reflects on the death of a friend and cherishing the memories they made. Nicks signed off her note by writing to McVie, “See you on the other side, my love. Don’t forget me.”
In a separate statement, Mick Fleetwood paid tribute to his longtime bandmate, “This is a day where my dear sweet Friend Christine McVie has taken to flight… and left us, earthbound folks, to listen with bated breath to the sounds of that ‘songbird,’ reminding one and all that love is all around us to reach for and touch in this precious life that is gifted to us.”