LOS ANGELES — Fleetwood Mac and Lindsey Buckingham are cutting ties.
A representative for the band confirmed to CNN on Monday that Buckingham and the band have parted ways and that he will not be going on tour with them in the fall.
“Lindsey Buckingham will not be performing with the band on this tour,” a statement read. “The band wishes Lindsey all the best.”
The representative would not provide any further details as to what led to his departure. A source close to the band told CNN that the split was “over musical differences regarding the tour.” A representative for Buckingham referred questions to the band.
Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac in 1974, the same year as the band’s longtime lead singer, Stevie Nicks. Buckingham, who has since served as the lead guitarist for the band, wrote some of the band’s most well-known songs including “Go Your Own Way,” which was the lead single off the band’s highly successful 1977 album, Rumours.
The vague statement regarding Buckingham’s abrupt departure came at the same time the band announced that musicians Mike Campbell and Neil Finn would be joining the band on tour.
Fleetwood Mac was originally founded in 1967 by Peter Green. The band was named after two of its band members, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. Green left the band in 1969. Christine McVie joined the band in 1970.
Over the years the band has experienced ups and downs. The band went on hiatus in 1982 and when they agreed to go back on tour in 1987, Buckingham backed out at the last minute. In 1998, Christine McVie left the band and rejoined in 2014.
During a Grammy event in January, CNN spoke to Buckingham, who said that the “dysfunction” is what made the band great.
“Everything that we wore on our sleeve, the discord and nature of the band, was the people breaking up, the dysfunction. Even if you look at, on paper the five people they don’t look like they would belong in the same band together but it adds up to something bigger than the sum of the parts. Right below all of that dysfunction is a great, great deal of love.”
Buckingham also spoke to CNN about his widely publicized breakup with Nicks, which took place while the band was recording Rumours.
“There was a time when I was certainly waiting for her to come back and she never did,” Buckingham said. “Then I moved on eventually, it took a long time.”
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