Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter and guitarist Peter Green has died at the age of 73.
According to the BBC, solicitors acting on behalf of his family said in a statement, “It is with great sadness that the family of Peter Green announce his death this weekend, peacefully in his sleep. A further statement will be provided in the coming days.”
Green was instrumental in the first incarnation of Fleetwood Mac, forming the group with drummer Mick Fleetwood in 1967. He would exit the band in 1970, while dealing with his mental health. He was later diagnosed with schizophrenia.
In 1998, he was among eight members from Fleetwood Mac’s history who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Though exiting Fleetwood Mac after three years, his impact was felt on a future generation of musicians. Earlier this year, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour took part in an all-star tribute to Green at the Palladium in London with the show expected to be turned into a live album and released in October.
“The concert is a celebration of those early blues days where we all began,” Mick Fleetwood explained before the show, as Ultimate Classic Rock reported. “And it’s important to recognize the profound impact Peter and the early Fleetwood Mac had on the world of music. Peter was my greatest mentor and it gives me such joy to pay tribute to his incredible talent. I am honored to be sharing the stage with some of the many artists Peter has inspired over the years and who share my great respect for this remarkable musician.”
Green appeared on the band’s first three albums — 1968’s self-titled debut, 1968’s Mr. Wonderful and 1969’s Then Play On — which yielded such songs as “Oh Well,” ‘The Green Manalishi,” “Man of the World,” “Albatross” and “Need Your Lovin’ So Bad.” He also played with the lauded ’60s act John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers for a period, leaving in 1967 to form Fleetwood Mac.
Fleetwood Mac, “Oh Well”
He went on to perform with the Peter Green Splinter Group and under the guise of Peter Green & Friends before seemingly retiring from the music spotlight in 2010.
Metallica’s Kirk Hammett — who now owns Green’s “Green” 1959 Les Paul guitar — was reportedly recently worked with Green in a recording studio. It later emerged that the Metallica member guested on “Man of the World” with Fleetwood, meant as a tribute tune to the Green.
See a few tributes to Green below:
Rockers We’ve Lost in 2020