Christine McVie‘s primary cause of death has been revealed as an ischemic stroke, according to the late Fleetwood Mac star’s death certificate.
The singer and keyboard player – who was responsible for hits including You Make Loving Fun, Little Lies and Everywhere – passed away in November 2022, aged 79.
At the time, her family issued a statement informing fans that she “passed away peacefully” in hospital “following a short illness,” with documents obtained by The Blast bearing further details.
According to the death certificate, McVie suffered an ischemic stroke which, according to the Mayo Clinic, “occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted or reduced, preventing brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients”.
The papers also confirm the musician was diagnosed with “metastatic malignancy of unknown primary origin,” meaning cancer cells had been detected but doctors had been unable to determine where they had originated.
Last year, McVie opened up about the future of Fleetwood Mac in an interview with Rolling Stone, admitting she was in “quite bad health” and suffering with a “chronic back problem which debilitates me”.
Born Christine Perfect, the musician scored early success as a member of blues group Chicken Shack, before marrying Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie and joining the group in 1971, becoming one of their main songwriters and landing global hits following the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.
The group became one of the most famous bands of the 1970s and 1980s, with the line-up releasing five studio albums between 1975 (‘Fleetwood Mac’) and 1987 (‘Tango In The Night).
Following a series of line-up changes in the 1990s, Christine rejoined the classic line-up for ‘The Dance’ live album and tour in 1997. She left a year later and remained out of the group until 2013, when she joined Fleetwood Mac for a one-off appearance at London’s The O2, before returning to the line-up until her passing.
Additionally, Christine released three solo albums – ‘Christine Perfect’ (1970), ‘Christine McVie’ (1984) and ‘In The Meantime’ (2004) – along with the duets album, ‘Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie’ (2017), and her compilation release, ‘Songbird‘ (2022).
In a post on social media, Fleetwood Mac paid tribute to the late musician, writing: “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.”
The group added: “Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. She will be so very missed.”
Subsequently, drummer Mick Fleetwood shared his own tribute, saying: “This is a day where my dear sweet friend Christine McVie has taken flight. 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.
“Part of my heart has flown away today… I will miss everything about you Christine McVie Memories abound… They fly to me.”
And in a handwritten note, singer Stevie Nicks added: “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…until late Saturday night. I wanted to be in London; I wanted to get to London — but we were told to wait.
“So, since Saturday, one song has been swirling around in my head, over and over and over. I thought I might 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, written by the Ladies Haim. It’s all I can do now.”
She followed her words with an excerpt from Haim’s song Hallelujah.
