Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac attacked by woman in Santa Monica

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Lindsey Buckingham was attacked by a woman in Santa Monica on Wednesday morning.

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that a woman with a history of stalking Buckingham, 76, tossed an unknown substance toward the former Fleetwood Mac guitarist and vocalist from a container as he entered a building for an appointment. According to law enforcement, Buckingham was not harmed; the woman is known to the musician and has been the subject of prior action with the LAPD threat management unit.

Police believe the woman found out when and where Buckingham had scheduled his appointment. She was not apprehended Wednesday morning, but an arrest was expected soon.

“The Los Angeles Police Department, Threat Management Unit, is working with the Santa Monica Police Department to investigate the incident,” LAPD Capt. Mike Bland told The Times in a statement. “To protect the integrity of the open and ongoing investigation, no further comment will be provided, at this time.”

Representatives for Buckingham have not responded to a request for comment.

In December 2024, Buckingham filed a request for a restraining order against Michelle Dick, who was 53 at the time of that filing. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Scully granted the order, which mandates that Dick stay at least 100 yards away from Buckingham, his wife and his son. She was also ordered not to harass or attempt to make contact with him in any way.

In November 2024, Buckingham petitioned the court for the order, writing that Dick had been stalking him for several years and that her harassment included threats of violence. According to the musician’s declaration, Dick had loitered around his and his family members’ homes, called repeatedly and left threatening voicemails, and taped a photo collage of herself and Buckingham to his mailbox. The final straw, he said, was when she placed a false emergency call against Buckingham, claiming that she’d heard gunshots inside his home. Police arrived and handcuffed him while they cleared his home.

A detective in the threat management unit also gave a declaration in favor of a protection order, writing that she had been assigned to investigate the harassment of Buckingham and that Dick insisted she was the child of the musician. She wrote that she believed Dick to be dangerous and mentally unstable.

Buckingham has had a rough go in the last several years, but last week he shared on Instagram that Fleetwood Mac had a documentary in the works and that he had a positive outlook for 2026. “I am still very, very grounded in my creative life,” he said. “I’ve been working on a new solo album for the last couple of years, which is one song away from being finished.”

In 2018, Buckingham split with Fleetwood Mac and a legal battle over lost wages with his former band ensued. Then, in February 2019, Buckingham suffered a heart attack and had to undergo triple bypass surgery. During the process, the insertion of a breathing tube damaged his vocal cords, leaving him questioning whether he would ever be able to sing again, he told The Times in 2021.

He spent much of the pandemic focusing on his recovery.

“I’ll tell you what: Between the Fleetwood Mac stuff and the heart attack, it’s all been humbling,” Buckingham said. “I’ve never suffered from a lack of confidence, and sometimes could get carried away with that in the process of leading the band. But everything has pulled me in a little bit. I’m not as aggressive a person as I was before, which is probably not a bad thing. It made me look around more — and become less self-involved, hopefully.”