Peter Green, the co-founder of the band Fleetwood Mac, has reportedly passed away at the age of 73.

Fox News reported that this was revealed on Saturday by Green’s family, who said he died in his sleep.

“It is with great sadness that the family of Peter Green announce his death this weekend, peacefully in his sleep,” they said in a statement. They added that a more detailed statement will be released in the coming days.

“A further statement will be provided in the coming days,” the statement continued.

Born in Bethnal Green, London, Green was a rock guitarist who formed Fleetwood Mac with drummer Mick Fleetwood in 1967. He was widely regarded as one of the best British guitarists of the 1960s, with B.B. King once saying that Green “has the sweetest tone I ever heard. He was the only one who gave me the cold sweats.”

Green also showed off his talents as a composer with “Albatross,” and as a songwriter with “Oh Well” and “Black Magic Woman.”

Though Green left Fleetwood Mac in 1971, Fleetwood said in 2017 that he deserved much of the credit for the band’s success.

“Peter was asked why did he call the band Fleetwood Mac. He said, ‘Well, you know I thought maybe I’d move on at some point and I wanted Mick and John (McVie) to have a band.’ End of story, explaining how generous he was,” Fleetwood said, adding that Green was a standout in an era of great guitar work.

Green later made a rare public appearance with Fleetwood Mac in 1998, when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was such an important figure with the band that in its early days, it was called Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac.

Tributes have been pouring in for Green, with Whitesnake’s David Coverdale saying that  Green was an artist he “truly loved and admired.”

“I supported the original Fleetwood Mac at Redcar Jazz Club when I was in a local band… he was a breathtaking singer, guitarist and composer. I know who I will be listening to today. RIP,” Coverdale wrote in a tweet.

This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

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