Lindsey Buckingham Attacked by Alleged Stalker in Santa Monica

Lindsey Buckingham had been looking forward to 2026. Just last week, the 76-year-old guitar icon posted a video to his Instagram account brimming with optimism: a new solo album nearly finished, a Fleetwood Mac documentary on the horizon, and a renewed sense of creative purpose after years of personal and professional turbulence. Then came Wednesday morning in Santa Monica, and a reminder that fame, even the complicated, hard-worn kind, carries dangers that never quite go away.

Buckingham was attacked by a woman when he arrived for an appointment in Santa Monica, according to multiple law enforcement sources. As he entered the building, the woman, described by authorities as a stalking suspect, threw an unknown substance at the two-time Grammy winner and fled the scene. Buckingham was not injured.

LAPD's Threat Management Unit, which handles stalking and threat-related cases, is specifically involved in the investigation, linking the Santa Monica assault with other incidents involving the same suspect. The LAPD declined to elaborate, citing the need to protect the integrity of the open investigation. Police have identified the suspect but made no arrests as of early Wednesday morning, though law enforcement sources indicated an arrest was expected soon.

Police believe the woman found out when and where Buckingham had scheduled his appointment, a detail that suggests a calculated, premeditated act rather than a chance encounter, and one that raises uncomfortable questions about how closely this individual had been monitoring his movements.

Buckingham and his family have had past stalking issues with a 54-year-old woman named Michelle Dick, against whom they obtained a restraining order after years of alleged harassment and death threats. Court documents indicate Dick began sending messages to Buckingham's wife's business phone, stating she intended to kill them. Later, she left threatening messages on his son's phone and contacted his daughter through social media. She was also allegedly spotted on multiple occasions outside the family's Brentwood home and was accused of making a false 911 call claiming someone at the residence needed help. It is not confirmed whether Dick is the woman involved in this week's incident, and authorities have not publicly named a suspect.

KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl noted that the perpetrator could face serious consequences: “This is certainly assault. If the unknown substance is a chemical, that could lead to a state prison sentence of up to four years.”

The attack lands at a particularly cruel moment. Buckingham had been vocal in recent weeks about a creative renaissance. In a video posted to his Instagram account, he described being deeply immersed in his work: “I am still very, very grounded in my creative life. I've been working on a new solo album for the last couple of years, which is one song away from being finished.” He also spoke of a possible Fleetwood Mac documentary arriving this year and described a thawing in his long-fractured relationship with Stevie Nicks, whose falling-out with Buckingham led to his dismissal from the band in 2018. In 2025, the duo reissued their 1973 debut album “Buckingham Nicks” for the first time in decades, a development Buckingham described as creating “a resurgence of connection” between them.

The years between that firing and now have not been easy. In February 2019, Buckingham suffered a heart attack and underwent triple bypass surgery. During the procedure, a breathing tube damaged his vocal cords, leaving him uncertain whether he would ever sing again. He described the cumulative weight of those trials in characteristically candid terms, saying it had made him less aggressive and more reflective, “less self-involved, hopefully.”

That Buckingham has arrived at this point in his life with his creative drive intact is a story worth telling on its own. That he now finds himself at the center of a stalking and assault investigation, one with a documented history stretching back years, is a grimmer subplot no one wanted.

Representatives for Buckingham had not responded to requests for comment as of publication. The investigation remains active and ongoing.