The world was saddened to learn on June 7th, 2012, that an original musician from Fleetwood Mac took his own life. Bob Welch’s wife survives him. Her name is Wendy Welch, and her last communication with him was the suicide not that he left for her.
Photo: Wendy Welch with Husband
The world will undoubtedly judge his actions harshly. but there is far more to the story than meet the eye. Rather than the typical story of a young musician suffering from depression deciding to end it all selfishly, Bob was was suffering from a degenerative spinal condition that would have left him an invalid within months.
Rather than burden Wendy Welch with his care, the 65-year old guitar player put a bullet in his chest. His suicide note was addressed to his long-time wife whom he loved so much, and the text read in part “I’m not going to do this to you.” His first hand experience with the difficulty in caring for an invalid came decades earlier watching his poor mother care for his father. He decided he would not ruin the rest of his wife’s life with his medical condition.
Hero or goat? We’ll leave that to others to decide, and just send our heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Welch, their family members and former band mates.
Biography: We know that she was born Wendy Armistead, and married him in 1985, changing her name to Wendy Welch as all women did back then when they got married. The couple were together for seventeen years living in Nashville, Tennessee for the last many years. We do not believe than they had any children together.
Her husband credited Wendy with rescuing his life so many years ago in an interview conducted with a trade magazine.
“Fifteen years ago I was able to pull out of major depression, drug addiction and extreme negativity thanks to the LA Sheriff’s Dept (I was busted), there hospital where I was rehabilitating, and, especially a lovely lady named Wendy Armistead who helped me stop beating my head against a brick wall! Wendy Welch helped me to get back into reading music again, to want to do a band again, and to regain my musical and personal identity.”
They say that behind every great man is a great woman We do not know much else because she has kept quite a low profile, much like his music career in the last decade. If you know of anything else about Bob Welch’s wife Wendy, please let us know in the comments so that our readers may be more informed.
Video: Sentimental Lady
