Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac have paid tribute to former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Welch who took his life on Thursday (June 7, 2012).
In a statement Stevie said, “The death of Bob Welch is devastating. I had many great times with him after Lindsey and I joined Fleetwood Mac. He was an amazing guitar player – he was funny, sweet – and he was smart. I am so very sorry for his family and for the family of Fleetwood Mac – so, so sad.”
Mick Fleetwood said, “He was a very, very profoundly intelligent human being and always in good humour, which is why this is so unbelievably shocking. He was a huge part of our history which sometimes gets forgotten … mostly his legacy would be his songwriting abilities that he brought to Fleetwood Mac, which will survive all of us. If you look into our musical history, you’ll see a huge period that was completely ensconced in Bob’s work.”
Welch was the guitarist for Fleetwood Mac for five albums from 1971-1975. He also sang lead on many of the songs including his own ‘Sentimental Lady’ that he later recorded solo for his ‘French Kiss’ album.
Yesterday it was revealed that Bob committed suicide after a failed spinal operation. He was 66.
He was found by his wife Wendy in their Nashville home with a gunshot wound to the chest.
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