Saying goodbye to a music legend never gets easier. When someone is the reason you have songs to jam and listen to with friends, it can make their deaths that much more bittersweet.
Now, it’s Fleetwood Mac’s keyboardist Brett Tuggle that we’re saying goodbye to.
View this post on Instagram
Having been part of the band since 1997, Fleetwood Mac truly was a big part of Tuggle’s life. It was all thanks to a gig he landed with Mick Fleetwood in the 90s.
As a skillful keyboardist, he also played for Jimmy Page and Rick Springfield.
Tuggle’s musical skill went beyond the keyboard. He was also competent at guitar, bass, and even doing vocals. This made him a very reliable person to have around for any performance.
Brett Tuggle—truly the ”secret weapon” of the Eat ‘Em & Smile band and tour. Loved by everyone that ever met him, and gifted with supreme talent—-Rest in Peace. We will never forget you. ❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/mhzC90sD79
— Billy Sheehan (@BillyonBass) June 20, 2022
Lindsey Buckingham even said so himself what an incredible musician he was.
“He is a superb keyboardist, bassist, guitarist, singer. And he also brings so much clarity and integrity. There’s no way in the world we could do this without him. We’ve never been able to do it without him, nor could we in the future. We love him to death.”
Buckingham knows it better than most people.
View this post on Instagram
After Christine McVie departed from the band, Tuggle still played for Buckingham and Stevie Nicks when they went solo.
Of course, two separate solo artists are a bit hard to make a perfect schedule for. Tuggle could only be at one place at a time, and it seemed to Nicks that he gave some priority to Buckingham.
View this post on Instagram
And the reason was simple. Buckingham simply needed him more. Unlike Nicks who had a band helping her out, Tuggle was pretty much all Buckingham had.
Though Tuggle is a one-man-band himself.
If you could have just one person doing instrumental work for you, you would definitely pick him too.
That’s just the kind of legacy he left behind. Names like Rick Springfield, Stevie Nicks, and David Lee Roth all needed him at one point. Tuggle was truly something else.
Our sweet Brett Tuggle made it home tonight. God bless his beautiful spirit. ❤️ @BrettTuggle1 pic.twitter.com/JHID345cO0
— Rick Springfield (@rickspringfield) June 20, 2022
Just recently, Tuggle lost his battle with cancer and passed on father’s day at the age of 70.
It’s a bittersweet piece of news for anyone who loved Fleetwood Mac. Tuggle was a huge factor in their sound over the last two decades.
Fleetwood Mac’s timeless appeal is easy to see. Their 1977 hit “Dreams” found a resurgence in popularity thanks to those famous skateboarding videos on TikTok. Those TikToks were probably a gateway to the rest of Fleetwood Mac’s music to all the young people who watched them.
Even till his passing, Tuggle still had generations of people discovering the music he helped to make.
His son Matt broke the news and had Rolling Stone cover the story.
“He was loved by his family so much. His family was with him throughout the entire time of his illness. He was a lovely father. He gave me music in my life.”
The next few times we listen to Fleetwood Mac are going to be quite somber for now.
View this post on Instagram
Rock on, Brett Tuggle. Thank you for your music!
If this article about a music legend was a nice read for you, then please do share it with more people too.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
