Lindsey Buckingham's vocal cords damaged after emergency surgery

Lindsey Buckingham underwent emergency openheart surgery late last week, and though he's on the mend at home,the operation resulted in vocal cord damage. The former Fleetwood Mac rocker's wife, Kristen Buckingham, postedthe update on Facebook Friday afternoon, capping off a tumultuousyear for the musician that included his ouster from theGrammy-winning band. "Each day he is stronger than the last," his wife wrote. "While heand his heart are doing well, the surgery resulted in vocal corddamage. While it is unclear if this damage is permanent, we arehopeful it is not."All touring and shows scheduled will be put on pause as Buckingham"gathers the strength to heal completely," she added.The 69-year-old guitarist has a family history of heart-relatedproblems that claimed the lives of his father and brother, said hiswife, who accompanied the update with a hospital photo of the rocker.She noted that the family shared its story in hopes that it wouldinspire others to seek preventative care."This past year has been a very stressful and difficult year for ourfamily to say the least. But despite all this, our gratitude for lifetrumps all obstacles we have faced at this moment. We feel sofortunate he's alive. As does he. He looks forward to recovery andputting this behind him," she added.Buckingham's official departure from Fleetwood Mac came in April whenthe band announced Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakersand Neil Finn of Crowded House were joining the lineup. Shortly afterthat, the band announced a new tour and Buckingham announced his ownsolo tour.In October, Buckingham sued Fleetwood Mac and blamed Stevie Nicks forgetting him fired.