Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham underwent emergency open heart surgery last week and the future of his musical career is now in doubt.
According to a statement from Buckingham’s representatives, the “life-saving procedure… was successful in its purpose.” However, the procedure “caused vocal cord damage, the permanency of which is unclear.”
In a separate statement, Buckingham’s wife, Kristen, says her husband “is now recuperating at home and each day he is stronger than the last.”
“We feel so fortuante he’s alive. As does he,” Lindsey adds. “He looks forward to recovery and putting this behind him. Needless to say, all touring and shows currently scheduled have been put on pause for the moment as he gathers the strength to heal completely.”
The family “thought it important to share what’s happening with Lindsey with the hope that inspires someone else to seek preventive care. Lindsey’s family has a history of health issues, having lost both his father at 56 and his brother at 46 to heart related illness. If anyone is experiencing even the mildest of symptoms we encourage you to seek the care of a physician.”
As Kristen also alludes to in her note, 2018 was an especially trying year for Lindsey in the wake of his firing from Fleetwood Mac. In December, Buckingham revealed that he had settled his lawsuit against his former bandmates, noting, “I’m happy enough with it. I’m not out there trying to twist the knife at all. I’m trying to look at this with some level of compassion, some level of wisdom.”
Last year also saw Buckingham embark on a lengthy North American in tour in support of an archival collection, Solo Anthology – The Best of Lindsey Buckingham.
