R.I.P.: Former Fleetwood Mac Guitarist Danny Kirwan

Danny Kirwan, the British guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter who helped shape the bluesy sound of Fleetwood Mac, died Friday in London.

Hewas 68-years-old, according to EW.

“Danny was a huge force in our early years,” Fleetwood Mac cofounder Mick Fleetwood said in a statement posted on the band’s Facebook page. “His love for the Blues led him to being asked to join Fleetwood Mac in 1968, where he made his musical home for many years.”

Kirwan joined Fleetwood Mac when he was still a teenager, and his work was featured the albums Then Play On (1969), Blues Jam at Chess (1969), Kiln House (1970), Future Games (1971), and Bare Trees (1972). He was one of the eight band members inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Fleetwood’s statement concluded, “Danny’s true legacy, in my mind, will forever live on in the music he wrote and played so beautifully as a part of the foundation of Fleetwood Mac, that has now endured for over fifty years. Thank you, Danny Kirwan. You will forever be missed!”