By Kylie&nbsp;MacLellan and Dan Whitcomb
LONDON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Christine&nbsp;McVie, whose songwriting and signature vocals helped make British-American group&nbsp;Fleetwood&nbsp;Mac&nbsp;one of the best-selling rock bands of all time, died on Wednesday. She was&nbsp;79.
McVie&nbsp;passed away at a hospital following a short illness, her family said in a statement posted on the&nbsp;singer's Facebook page.
"We would like everyone to keep&nbsp;Christine&nbsp;in their hearts and remember the life of an incredible human being and a revered musician who was loved universally. RIP&nbsp;Christine&nbsp;McVie," the family said in the statement.
Fleetwood&nbsp;Mac, in a separate statement, said that there were "no words" to describe the band's sadness at&nbsp;McVie's passing. Members of&nbsp;Fleetwood&nbsp;Mac&nbsp;including Stevie Nicks and Mick&nbsp;Fleetwood&nbsp;posted the statement on social media.
"She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life," the band's statement said. "Individually and together, we cherished&nbsp;Christine&nbsp;deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have."
Born&nbsp;Christine&nbsp;Perfect in northwest England on July 12, 1943,&nbsp;McVie&nbsp;started making music while in art school and was playing with a band called Chicken Shack before joining&nbsp;Fleetwood&nbsp;Mac&nbsp;in 1970 and marrying its bassist, John&nbsp;McVie.
It was two of&nbsp;Christine&nbsp;McVie's songs, "Over My Head" and "Say You Love Me," that first saw the band, which started as a blues outfit, getting featured on U.S. radio stations.
The band relocated to California and added two new members - Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. Their 1977 album "Rumours," recorded as John and&nbsp;Christine&nbsp;McVie&nbsp;were divorcing, sold more than 40 million copies and became one of the best-selling albums of all time.
The album, which featured vocals from both&nbsp;Christine&nbsp;McVie&nbsp;and Stevie Nicks, included such hits as "Don't Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow)," "Go Your Own Way," "The Chain," "You Make Loving Fun" and "Gold Dust Woman," and was a fixture on the charts for 134 weeks, spending 31 weeks at No. 1.
McVie&nbsp;left&nbsp;Fleetwood&nbsp;Mac&nbsp;in 1998 and largely stayed out of the public eye despite releasing a solo album in 2004. She rejoined the band for a 2014 tour.
(Reporting by Kylie&nbsp;MacLellan in London and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

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Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter Christine McVie dies at 79