Peter Green, co-founder of Fleetwood Mac, dies at 73

Peter Green.
(Image credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Peter Green, guitarist and co-founder of the band Fleetwood Mac, has died, his family confirmed to BBC on Saturday. He was 73. Details were scarce, but "a further statement will be provided in the coming days."

Green, who hails from London, formed Fleetwood Mac with drummer Mick Fleetwood in 1967. After recruiting bass guitarist John McVie to join them, the band released three albums and several hit tracks like "Albatross," "Man of the World," and "Black Magic Woman," but Green eventually left the group in 1970 because he was struggling with his mental health. He was later diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent time in a hospital in the mid-'70s, BBC notes.

Despite his departure, Green was among the eight members of the band inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. And in February, Fleetwood staged a tribute show for Green. "I wanted people to know that I did not form this band — Peter Green did," he said. "And I wanted to celebrate those early years of Fleetwood Mac, which started this massive ball that went down the road over the last 50 years." Read more at BBC and Rolling Stone.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.

Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.