Bob Welch, former member of Fleetwood Mac, dead

GlobalPost

Bob Welch, a former member of Fleetwood Mac, died on Thursday of a self-inflicted gunshot would, according to Nashville police, reported the Associated Press.

Police spokesman Don Aaron said Welch's wife found him dead with a chest wound in their Nashville home.

Welch, 65, was a guitarist and vocalist for Fleetwood Mac from 1971 to 1974.

Aaron said Welch, who had health issues, left a suicide note.

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Welch joined the band in 1971 when it was an English blues band, according to USA Today, helping to shape the sound of the band and attract an American audience.

He appeared on five records Future Games, Bare Trees, Penguin, Mystery to Me and Heroes Are Hard to Find, before he left the band in late 1974, to be replaced by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.

Fleetwood Mac had huge hits in the 70s, including the album Rumours, which produced four top-ten singles, sold over 40 million copies and won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1977, according to The Huffington Post.

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