THE CONFESSIONS OF CHRISTINE McVIE: Inside rock 'n' roll queen's ‘cocaine and champagne’ boosters

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It added, "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. RIP Christine McVie."

In an interview in June this year, McVie had opened up about the UK blues and rock scene of the late 1960s, and even confessed that she used cocaine and champagne to perform better. Asked whether she considered herself a groundbreaker in the music scene that was mostly male-focused, McVie said, according to The Guardian, "In those days, there were very few women, especially playing the blues, but I never felt singled out. It just all came very naturally to me when I was with Chicken Shack and things started happening for them. Shortly after that I met Fleetwood Mac. It just all fell into place and was really fantastic. Not too many women have said, “Thanks for groundbreaking”, to be honest. I’m sure I was appreciated, but it wasn’t hero worship or anything like that. Can you tell them to start?"

McVie was reminded how Fleetwood Mac had a "legendary alcohol and drug intake", to which she said, "I have to say I’m not guilt-free in that department but Stevie (Nicks) and I were very careful. The boys used to get provided with cocaine in Heineken bottle tops onstage, but Stevie and I only did the tiny little spoons. I suppose sometimes we got a bit out-there, but we were quite restrained, really. I always took fairly good care of myself. My drug of choice was cocaine and champagne. I didn’t use any other drugs at all. It’s easy for me to say, but I think it made me perform better. Maybe somebody could tell me different."

Speaking of the songs she had written that she was most proud of, she said, "I’ve got to say Songbird. I couldn’t sleep, started to get a song rolling around in my head and I wrote it in half an hour. “For you there’d be no more crying …” It’s sort of like a little prayer for everybody. We went into Zellerbach Hall studios [In Berkeley, California], they got me a bunch of red roses and I sang it alone on the stage."