Lindsey Buckingham Attacked by Stalker Outside Santa Monica Appointment

A woman authorities describe as a stalking suspect threw an unknown substance at Lindsey Buckingham as the Fleetwood Mac guitarist arrived for a scheduled appointment in Santa Monica on March 25, 2026. Buckingham, 76, was not injured in the attack, but investigators believe the encounter was no accident: law enforcement sources say the suspect determined the location and timing of his appointment in advance and planned the confrontation accordingly.

The incident unfolded as Buckingham entered a building, at which point the woman produced a container, hurled its contents at him, and immediately fled. Buckingham recognized the woman from previous incidents, according to law enforcement sources. The LAPD's Threat Management Unit took over the investigation in coordination with the Santa Monica Police Department. Police identified the suspect by early Wednesday but had not made any arrests. The LAPD declined to elaborate, issuing a statement that read: "To protect the integrity of the open and ongoing investigation, no further comment will be provided, at this time."

The attack arrived against a documented history of stalking that has shadowed Buckingham for years. In December 2024, a Los Angeles judge granted him a permanent restraining order, valid through December 2029, against a woman identified in court documents only as Michelle, who had allegedly been harassing Buckingham and his family since 2021. Buckingham testified in person at that hearing and presented evidence, telling the court: "She is a stalker who has been harassing me and my family," and warning that her "conduct may escalate into something physically dangerous to me and my family." Michelle had allegedly left threatening voicemails on the phone of his son, William Buckingham, including threats to kill William and other family members. Despite being served notice, Michelle did not appear at the December 2024 hearing. The court ordered her to remain at least 100 yards from Buckingham, his wife Kristen Buckingham, William, his home, and any location he might be. Whether the woman involved in the March 2026 attack is the same Michelle named in that restraining order remains unclear.

The assault came just days after Buckingham posted an upbeat Instagram video outlining his plans for the year. "I am still very, very grounded in my creative life," he said, adding that his new solo album had been in progress for two years and was "one song away from being finished." He also indicated that a Fleetwood Mac documentary directed by Frank Marshall for Apple, featuring interviews with surviving core members Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie, could arrive in 2026.

Buckingham, a two-time Grammy Award winner, joined Fleetwood Mac in 1975 alongside then-girlfriend Nicks and wrote some of the band's most enduring songs, including "Go Your Own Way" and "Tusk." He was fired from the band in 2018 and subsequently sued his former bandmates, claiming he was owed approximately $14 million in lost tour revenue. In February 2019, he suffered a heart attack and underwent emergency triple bypass surgery; a breathing tube inserted during the procedure damaged his vocal cords, raising serious doubts at the time about whether he would sing again.

Those doubts have since faded. In 2025, Buckingham and Nicks reissued their pre-Mac 1973 debut album Buckingham Nicks for the first time in decades, a move Buckingham suggested "will translate to something good." With a new album nearly complete and a documentary on the horizon, the coming weeks will now also be defined by whether investigators can close a case that escalated from threatening voicemails to a targeted physical attack outside his door.