Breakups, Feuds and Making Loving Fun: Inside Fleetwood Mac's Various Ups and Downs Over the Years

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Fleetwood Mac has faced anything but smooth sailing since the band's formation.

Created back in 1967 in London, England, Fleetwood Mac faced various breakups, feuds and lineup changes among its members throughout the years, despite numerous hit singles, various awards and worldwide recognition.

Originally composed of members Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, Jeremy Spencer and Bob Brunning when the group made their live debut on Aug. 13, 1967 at the Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival, John McVie joined not long after, replacing Brunning, as did a third guitarist, Danny Kirwan.

Throughout its career, the band has faced various interpersonal problems that've threatened to tear the group apart from within. Green and Kirwan departed due to struggles with mental illness exacerbated by drug use, while Spencer parted ways with the group following a religious conversion.

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Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Fleetwood Mac in 1975

Fleetwood and John later moved on with guitarists Bob Welch and Bob Weston, as well as with John's wife, Christine McVie, who died Wednesday at the age of 79.

After other member changes, the group's most popular and well-known lineup was made up years later with the additions of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. John and Fleetwood are the only members of the group to appear on every release from the band.

In 1975, the group released another self-titled album, which marked the band's tenth studio LP. On it are tracks including "Say You Love Me" and "Rhiannon," as well as the ever-popular "Landslide."

But the success the band found with that album also brought forth hardships in the members' personal lives, as John and Christine's marriage crumbled, as did Buckingham and Nicks's long-term romantic relationship. Fleetwood, meanwhile, was also involved in divorce proceedings with his wife, Jenny.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty Fleetwood Mac in 2018

The reality of the road and John's alleged "more Hyde than Jekyll" personality while drinking (as Christine noted in the 2016 book Fleetwood Mac on Fleetwood Mac) eroded his relationship with Christine over time. She told Rolling Stone in 1977 that "the strain of me being in the same band as [John] started to take its toll. When you're in the same band as somebody, you're seeing them 24 hours a day and you start to see an awful lot of the bad side."

Nicks, meanwhile, told Billboard in 2014, "When we joined Fleetwood Mac, I said, 'OK, this is what we've been working for since 1968. And so Lindsey, you and I have to sew this relationship back up. We have too much to lose here.'"

Buckingham, for his part, admitted to Blender in 2005 that he and Nicks "had to go through this elaborate exercise of denial, keeping our personal feelings in one corner of the room while trying to be professional in the other."

But the couple's civility-for-art's-sake only lasted so long, as Nicks told Australia's Woman's Own in 1990, "When we broke up, two years after joining Fleetwood Mac, it was like a living nightmare. He and I were about as compatible as a boa constrictor and a rat."

GAB Archive/Redferns Fleetwood Mac in 1975

Still, despite their personal turmoils, Fleetwood Mac went into the studio to record Rumours in February 1976, which has since become one of the best-selling records of all time.

Fleetwood told PEOPLE in 1977 about returning to the studio to record the album that would become Rumours: "We were all in an emotional ditch. Everybody knew everything about everybody. But I was the piggy in the middle because I had less trauma than the others." (He expanded on the thought years later in Uncut: "At least I was spared the in-house, up-front situation. I didn't have to actually work with my ex-spouse.")

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Though the album was written amid emotional turmoil for the band, Christine told Rolling Stone in June that while she "didn't realize it at the time," she was something of a rock amid the drama.

"I was supposedly like the Mother Teresa who would hang out with everybody or just try and [keep] everything nice and cool and relaxed," she recalled. "But they were great people; they were great friends... Even though I am quite a peaceful person, I did enjoy that storm. Although it's said that we fought a lot, we actually did spend a lot of our time laughing."

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Fleetwood Mac went on to then release a selection of follow-up LPs, as well as solo projects, before a 10-week tour that was scheduled in promotion of the group's fourteenth studio album, 1987's Tango in the Night, was postponed after Buckingham wasn't thrilled with the way his creativity was being handled and left the group.

In the years to follow, various members shifted in and out of performing with the group, and throughout the decades they continued to regroup for special occasions and select tours.

In 1998, Fleetwood Mac was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Members inducted included Fleetwood, John, Green, Spencer and Kirwan, as well as Christine, Nicks and Buckingham.

Most recently, Christine told Rolling Stone that Fleetwood Mac "kind of broke up" following their most recent tour, which ended in 2019 after nearly 100 shows.

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Earlier this week, it was announced that Christine died at 79. The musician's family announced her death on social media, writing that she died at the hospital "following a short illness," surrounded by her family.

"On behalf of Christine McVie's family, it is with a heavy heart we are informing you of Christine's death," the statement read. "She passed away peacefully at hospital this morning, Wednesday, November 30th, 2022, following a short illness. She was in the company of her family. We kindly ask that you respect the family's privacy at this extremely painful time, and we would like everyone to keep Christine in their hearts and remember the life of an incredible human being, and revered musician who was loved universally."

Fleetwood Mac also paid tribute to the star, writing there were "no words to describe our sadness" following her death.

"She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure," the rockers wrote in a social media statement. "She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life. We were so lucky to have a life with her. Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. She will be so very missed."

RELATED VIDEO: Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie Dead at 79 Following 'Short Illness'

Christine previously told Rolling Stone last year that while a band reunion was still up in the air, she didn't feel "physically up for" one final tour.

"I'm in quite bad health. I've got a chronic back problem which debilitates me. I stand up to play the piano, so I don't know if I could actually physically do it. What's that saying? The mind is willing, but the flesh is weak," she said. "I'm quite happy being at home. I don't know if I ever want to tour again. It's bloody hard work. … I'll just leave it open and say that we might."