After Emergency Open Heart Surgery, Fleetwood Mac Guitarist Lindsey Buckingham Is Left With Vocal Cord Damage

Lindsey Buckingham is currently recuperating at home and recovering from emergency open heart surgery which took place last week, but wife Kristen Buckingham has reported that the Fleetwood Mac guitarist is now suffering from vocal cord damage as the result of this surgery.

According to Pitchfork, Kristen has stated that it is not known just how far-reaching Lindsey Buckingham’s vocal cord damage is nor how long it will last, but the guitarist is apparently out of imminent danger and safe as far as his heart goes.

“While he and his heart are doing well, the surgery resulted in vocal cord damage. While it is unclear if this damage is permanent, we are hopeful it is not.”

Kristen Buckingham has also noted that because of Lindsey’s emergency open heart surgery, her husband’s Solo Anthology – The Best of Lindsey Buckingham tour will be “put on pause for the moment as he gathers the strength to heal completely.”

Lindsey Buckingham’s wife explained that last week the Fleetwood Mac guitarist began to experience chest pains which were severe enough that they warranted a trip to the hospital, where doctors quickly performed open heart surgery on him. Once he returned home to recover, it became quickly apparent that he had suffered vocal cord damage.

Lindsey Buckingham was forced to leave Fleetwood Mac last year after ex-partner Stevie Nicks made it startlingly clear to everyone else in the band that she could no longer make music with them if he continued to be a present force.

This was clearly both unexpected and disturbing news for Lindsey, who has always been an integral and driving force behind the band, and who commented in an email to Mick Fleetwood that after 43 years this sudden departure would be an incredible shame, according to Rolling Stone.

“After 43 years and the finish line so clearly in sight, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that for the five of us to splinter part would be the wrong thing. At the moment, the band’s heart and soul has been diminished. But out center, which has seen us through so much, is only laying dormant.”

Apparently Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood didn’t see it this way as Buckingham was forced out of the band, only to have Neil Finn of Crowded House and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers line up to take his place. Lindsey Buckingham later filed a lawsuit against his surprise termination, with the band deciding that it would be better if they settled the whole debacle out of court.

Most recently, Buckingham has been playing solo gigs for his latest album, and despite all of the obstacles that Lindsey has faced, his wife Kristen stated, “Our gratitude for life trumps all obstacles we have faced at this moment. We feel so fortunate that he’s alive.”

While it is not known how extensive Lindsey Buckingham’s vocal cord damage may be, if all goes well with his recovery from open heart surgery, the guitarist should be back on the stage soon doing what he does best.