RIP Fleetwood Mac Co-Founder, Peter Green

One of the co-founders of the band, Fleetwood Mac, has passed away. Peter was 73 years old.

Solicitors acting on behalf of his family said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that the family of Peter Green announces his death this weekend, peacefully in his sleep.

“A further statement will be provided in the coming days.”

Green is from Bethnal Green located in east London and he formed Fleetwood Mac back in 1967 with drummer Mick Fleetwood.

They came to play together after Green had a little gig filling in for Eric Clapton in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. After convincing John McView to join the band as the bass guitarist, they went with the name Fleetwood Mac.

Peter wrote the insanely popular and recognizable instrumental track Albatross. It was under Green’s direction that they produced their first 3 albums.

The band’s official debut album was released in 1968 and was known as both Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, along with Fleetwood Mac. This album went on to gain popularity and reached number 4 in the charts.

In 1970 Green left the band as he struggled with his mental health. He was eventually diagnosed to have schizophrenia and he spent time in the hospital for it in the mid-70s.

He married Jane Samuels in January 1978. They divorced in 1979 and share a daughter.

Green was among the eight members of the band – along with Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie, Christine McVie, Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer – who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

The news of his death comes days after Fleetwood Mac announced they would release a retrospective box set documenting the band’s early years between 1969 and 1974.