A cause of death for Christine McVie has been revealed as the result of a “massive stroke” with a secondary cause of death listed as cancer, according to a death certificate obtained in a report.
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The Fleetwood Mac singer, songwriter, and keyboardist, who died on Nov. 30, 2022, at the age of 79, suffered an ischemic stroke, which accounts for nearly 87 percent of all strokes, according to the American Stroke Association, occurs when a vessel supplying blood to the brain is obstructed.
McVie was also diagnosed with a “metastatic malignancy of unknown primary origin,” which, according to the National Cancer Institute, means cancer cells were found in her body and had spread from an unknown place. Cancer, which has spread in this way is also considered stage IV cancer.
When McVie’s family initially revealed her death on social media in 2022, they shared that she died “following a short illness,” while surrounded by her family. “On behalf of Christine McVie’s family, it is with a heavy heart we are informing you of Christine’s death,” read the family’s statement. “She passed away peacefully at the hospital this morning, Wednesday, November 30th, 2022, following a short illness. She was in the company of her family.”
In a June 2022 interview, McVie also shared that she was in “quite bad health,” and added that she had a “chronic back problem which debilitates me.”
Following news of McVie’s death, Fleetwood Mac issued a joint statement, calling Mcvie “the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life.” The band continued, “She was truly one-of-a-kind, special, and talented beyond measure. 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.”
Individual bandmates also left their own tributes with Stevie Nicks calling McVie her “best friend” since they first met in 1975.
“A few hours ago I was told that my best friend in the whole world since the first day of 1975, had passed away,” shared Nicks. “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 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.”
Former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, who released a collaborative album with McVie – Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie – a year before parting ways with the band in 2018, wrote: “Christine McVie’s sudden passing is profoundly heartbreaking. 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 added, “For over four decades, we helped each other create a beautiful body of work and a lasting legacy that continues to resonate today. 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.”
Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for NARAS
