Brett Tuggle, Fleetwood Mac Keyboardist, Dies at 70

Brett Tuggle, a keyboardist who spent two solid decades in Fleetwood Mac during their reunion era and also served as a founding member of the David Lee Roth band in the ’80s, died this weekend at 70 due to complications related to cancer.

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Tuggle’s son Matt confirmed his death to Rolling Stone saying, “He was loved by his family so much. His family was with him throughout the entire time of his illness. He was a lovely father. He gave me music in my life.”

Over the course of his decades-long career, Tuggle also played with the likes of Jimmy Page, Rick Springfield, David Coverdale, John Kay and Steppenwolf, Styx’s Tommy Shaw and Mitch Ryder, and the Detroit Wheels. During his tenure with David Lee Roth, he co-wrote the 1998 hit “Just Like Paradise.”

Rick Springfield took to Twitter to mourn Tuggle, writing “Our sweet Brett Tuggle made it home tonight. God bless his beautiful spirit.”

Tuggle joined the ranks of Fleetwood Mac in 1992 when he landed a gig with Mick Fleetwood’s side project, the Zoo. He played keyboards for the iconic group on every album from 1997 to 2017. He also played extensively with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham on their solo tours.

“This guy is just a master,” Buckingham said of Tuggle while introducing his band at Washington DC’s Warner Theater on September 14, 2021. “He is a superb keyboardist, bassist, guitarist, singer. And he also brings so much clarity and integrity. There’s no way in the world we could do this [show] without him. We’ve never been able to do it without him, nor could we in the future.”

Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images

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