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Mick Fleetwood mourns Peter Green: “I will miss you, but rest easy, your music lives on”

“We did good, and trailblazed one hell of a musical road for so many to enjoy”

mick fleetwood

Photo: Steve Jennings / WireImage

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Drummer Mick Fleetwood has mourned the loss of Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green, who died Saturday (25 July) at the age of 73.

In a statement made to Rolling Stone, Fleetwood remembered Green, writing: “For me, and every past and present member of Fleetwood Mac, losing Peter Green is monumental!

“Peter was the man who started the band Fleetwood Mac along with myself, John McVie, and Jeremy Spencer,” he wrote. “No one has ever stepped into the ranks of Fleetwood Mac without a reverence for Peter Green and his talent, and to the fact that music should shine bright and always be delivered with uncompromising passion!”

“Peter, I will miss you, but rest easy, your music lives on,” he added. “I thank you for asking me to be your drummer all those years ago. We did good, and trailblazed one hell of a musical road for so many to enjoy. Godspeed to you, my dearest friend.”

The pair were founding members of Fleetwood Mac, and remained bandmates from 1967 to 1970. Green had left the group due to his struggles with mental health.

Green died “peacefully in his sleep”, his family announced. The guitarist earned his reputation as a masterful songwriter while in Fleetwood Mac, penning hits such as Albatross and Black Magic Woman.

Stevie Nicks, who joined Fleetwood Mac some five years after Green’s departure, shared a tribute message that revealed her biggest regret was that she “never got to share the stage with him”.

“When I first listened to all the Fleetwood Mac records, I was very taken with his guitar playing,” Nicks wrote over Twitter. “It was one of the reasons I was excited to join the band. His legacy will live on forever in the history books of Rock ‘n‘ Roll.”

Earlier this year, Mick Fleetwood organised a tribute show in celebration of Green’s career. David Gilmour, Billy Gibbons, Kirk Hammett and Noel Gallagher were among the many who attended and paid tribute to the guitarist.

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