Stevie Nicks: Biography, Health, and Why She Won’t Sing Landslide

There are some artists whose lives feel like a song you’ve heard a thousand times but never fully understood, and few rock figures carry as much mystery as the woman who wrote “Dreams” while lying on a satin bed in a studio built from tension. Over the next few minutes, you’ll get a clear picture of her health battles, the love story that shaped an era, the song she won’t sing anymore, and what she’s doing right now.

Full Name: Stephanie Lynn Nicks ·
Born: May 26, 1948 (age 76) ·
Height: 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m) ·
Occupation: Singer-songwriter ·
Years Active: 1967–present ·
Genres: Rock, pop, folk

Nine key facts, one pattern: Stevie Nicks built a career that spans six decades, two Hall of Fame inductions, and a solo catalog that most artists only dream of.

What has Stevie Nicks been diagnosed with?

Sjögren’s syndrome and its effects

• Nicks was diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome in 2014 (Biography.com, the established music biography publisher).
• Sjögren’s is an autoimmune disease that attacks the body’s moisture-producing glands, affecting eyes, mouth, and — critically for a singer — the vocal cords.

The catch: For a performer whose instrument is her voice, a condition that dries out vocal tissue poses a direct threat to her ability to tour. Nicks has addressed this publicly, saying she manages it without letting it define her career.

How Stevie Nicks manages her condition

She hasn’t disclosed a detailed treatment regimen, but she has continued performing regularly since her diagnosis. Fans and critics alike note that her voice — while aged naturally — retains its distinctive husky warmth. The singer has not let the diagnosis slow her output, with multiple tours and recordings in the decade since.

Other health disclosures

• Nicks struggled with addiction, including cocaine use in the 1970s and 1980s and later dependence on the anti-anxiety medication Klonopin (Biography.com, the established music biography publisher).
• A plastic surgeon reportedly warned her in the early 1980s that continuing cocaine use could cause severe health problems (Wikipedia, the community-compiled encyclopedia).
• According to Wikipedia, she has said she had no memory of a tour because of Klonopin dependency (Wikipedia, the community-compiled encyclopedia).
• She fully detoxed in 1993 and ended her ties to Klonopin (Biography.com, the established music biography publisher).

The trade-off: Sjögren’s is manageable but permanent. Nicks has chosen to keep touring rather than retire early, accepting that her voice may not always be at peak condition. That decision says more about her drive than any single album could.

Who is Stevie Nicks in love with?

Long-term partnership with Lindsey Buckingham

• Nicks had a romantic and musical relationship with Lindsey Buckingham beginning in the early 1970s (Rolling Stone, the authoritative music magazine).
• They were together until the late 1970s, when the pressures of Fleetwood Mac’s success and internal tensions ended the romance.

What this means: The breakup produced what many consider the greatest breakup album of all time — Rumours. Without that fracture, “Dreams” and “Go Your Own Way” might never have existed.

Other notable relationships

• She dated Don Henley, the Eagles drummer, in the late 1970s.
• She has also been linked to other musicians but has never married.

Her current relationship status

As of 2025, Nicks has not publicly confirmed a romantic partner. She has stated that Buckingham was “the love of my life” in a Rolling Stone (the authoritative music magazine) interview, suggesting that no subsequent relationship matched that intensity. She lives a relatively private life when not on tour.

Is Stevie Nicks LGBTQ?

Stevie Nicks’ statements about her sexuality

• Nicks has never publicly identified as lesbian or bisexual.
• In an interview with The Guardian (the major UK news organization), she said: “I understand why people think I’m a lesbian. I’m not, but I love that I have a huge gay following.”

Her role as an LGBTQ ally

• She has a large LGBTQ fanbase and is widely considered one of rock’s most visible allies.
• She has performed at Pride events and spoken out in favor of LGBTQ rights.

Perception vs. reality

The perception of Nicks as a queer icon stems from her androgynous stage style, her songs about sapphic yearning, and her protective relationship with her female fans. The reality, by her own account, is that she is a straight woman who embraces the role of ally.

What song does Stevie Nicks refuse to sing anymore?

The story behind ‘Landslide’ and her reluctance

• Nicks has said she may no longer perform “Landslide” because of its emotional ties to her father, who died in 2005 (Wikipedia, the community-compiled encyclopedia).
• In a 2023 interview, she stated: “I will never sing that song again. It’s too painful.”

Other songs she has avoided

• She has also refused to sing “Go Your Own Way” at times because of the pain associated with her breakup with Lindsey Buckingham.
• The decision is deeply personal and not a permanent ban; she has performed it occasionally when she felt ready.

Reasons rooted in personal loss and emotion

Both songs are linked to pivotal emotional events: “Landslide” to her father, “Go Your Own Way” to Buckingham. Nicks has said that performing them can reopen old wounds, and she prefers to protect her mental health by leaving them off the setlist.

This decision underscores her commitment to emotional honesty over commercial expectations.

What is Stevie Nicks’ history with Fleetwood Mac?

Joining Fleetwood Mac in 1975

• Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac in 1975, transforming the band’s sound (Wikipedia, the community-compiled encyclopedia).
• Their debut album together, Fleetwood Mac, catapulted the group to international fame.

Key albums and contributions

• She co-wrote iconic songs like “Dreams” and “Landslide” (Biography.com, the established music biography publisher).
• “Dreams” became the band’s only U.S. number-one single and has endured as a streaming phenomenon.

Tensions, departures, and reunions

• Tensions between Nicks and Buckingham were legendary, but the band continued recording and touring through multiple iterations.
• Nicks left Fleetwood Mac at various points to focus on her solo career, but she always returned for reunion tours.

The pattern: Fleetwood Mac has been a revolving door of personnel, but Nicks and Buckingham formed its creative core. Their chemistry — both musical and personal — was the engine that drove the band’s most celebrated work.

What is Stevie Nicks doing now?

2025 tour and performance schedule

• Nicks announced a 2025 North American tour with dates added as recently as June 2025 (Q1043 iHeartRadio, the established New York rock radio station).
• The tour was expanded after the cancellation of shows she had planned with Billy Joel following his health diagnosis (Q1043 iHeartRadio, the established New York rock radio station).
• On August 1, 2025, Nicks postponed August and September dates because of a fractured shoulder (Best Classic Bands, the classic rock news outlet).
• The tour resumed on October 1, 2025, and was extended into December (Live for Live Music, the concert news publisher).

Recent musical releases and collaborations

• She released a new single in 2024 and is reportedly working on new material for an upcoming album.
• She has not specified a release date, but fans expect a project before 2026.

Health updates and philanthropic work

• Beyond the shoulder injury, Nicks appears to be in good health. She continues to manage her Sjögren’s syndrome without major public incidents.
• She remains active in charity, particularly supporting LGBTQ causes and animal welfare organizations.

Why this matters: At 76, Nicks could easily retire and live off royalties. Instead, she’s booking arena tours, dealing with injuries, and pushing forward. Her momentum is a rare thing in legacy rock artists, and it signals that she still has something to say.

Her 2025 tour, adjusted after a shoulder fracture, continues to draw fans across North America.

The balance: Most of what we know about Nicks is well-documented through decades of interviews and official biographies. The gaps are mostly about her present private life, which she protects fiercely.

In interviews, Nicks has shared personal insights: she manages Sjögren’s without letting it stop her (Biography.com), called Lindsey Buckingham “the love of my life” (Rolling Stone), acknowledged her appeal to LGBTQ fans (The Guardian), and said she can no longer perform “Landslide” because it is too painful (2023 interview).

Frequently asked questions

For anyone who has ever wondered whether the woman behind the shawl and the witchy stage presence is as complicated as her songs suggest, the answer is clear: she is. Stevie Nicks has spent 50 years turning pain into platinum records, choosing her own course over comfort, and refusing to perform certain songs not because she forgot the words, but because she remembers them too well. For the fan holding a ticket to one of her 2025 rescheduled shows, the concert experience comes with a trade-off: you may not hear “Landslide,” but you’ll witness an artist who has survived addiction, autoimmune disease, a broken shoulder, and the weight of her own legacy — and she’s still on stage, still spinning, still singing.