Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham honor late Fleetwood Mac singer Christine McVie: 'A soul mate, a sister'

The musicians shared emotional handwritten notes mourning their former bandmate, who died at 79.

UPDATE: Lindsey Buckingham has joined Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood in remembering their late friend and bandmate Christine McVie, who died Wednesday. The musician called McVie's death "profoundly heartbreaking" in a poignant handwritten message he shared on social media Thursday.

"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," Buckingham wrote. "For over four decades, we helped each other create a beautiful body of work and a lasting legacy that continues to resonate today."

Outside of their legendary careers as members of Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham and McVie released a self-titled solo album together in 2017.

"I feel very lucky to have known her," Buckingham concluded. "Though she will be deeply missed, her spirit will live on through that body of work and that legacy."

PREVIOUS: Stevie Nicks is mourning the loss of her longtime friend and Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie, who died Wednesday at 79.

Nicks, 74, posted a handwritten note on social media, honoring her friend and musical collaborator of several decades. "A few hours ago I was told that my best friend in the whole world since the first day of 1975 had passed away," Nicks wrote. "I didn't even know she was ill… until late Saturday night."

Nicks said that since learning of McVie's illness, she'd been thinking about the lyrics to Haim's song "Hallelujah," which grieves the death of a close friend. "I thought I might possibly get to sing it to her, and so, I'm singing it to her now," she explained.

"See you on the other side, my love," Nicks added. "Don't forget me."

McVie's family announced that the legendary singer-songwriter died Wednesday morning at a hospital in England after "a short illness." McVie built her career as a pivotal member of Fleetwood Mac, joining the band in 1970 after marrying bassist John McVie. In the mid-'70s, Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined the lineup, kicking off a run of smash hit albums like their 1975 self-titled album, 1977's Rumours, and 1979's Tusk.

Not only did McVie play keyboard and frequently sing lead, but she was also one of the band's most prolific songwriters, penning hits like "Everywhere," "Don't Stop," and "Little Lies." In a joint statement, the members of Fleetwood Mac memorialized McVie as "truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure."

McVie and Nicks' longtime bandmate Mick Fleetwood also shared his own tribute to McVie on social media, saying, "Part of my heart has flown away today."

"This is a day where my dear sweet Friend Christine McVie has taken to flight," he wrote, "and left us earthbound folks to listen with bated breath to the sounds of that 'song bird'… reminding one and all that love is all around us to reach for and touch in this precious life that is gifted to us."

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Updated by
Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at Entertainment Weekly with over five years of experience covering the latest in entertainment. A proud Kingston University alum, Emlyn has written about music, fandom, film, television, and awards for multiple outlets including MTV News, Teen Vogue, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Paper Magazine, Dazed, and NME. She joined EW in August 2022.

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