It was confirmed yesterday (June 8) that Fleetwood Mac star Bob Welch had killed himself and now a close friend of his has revealed the reason behind his suicide.

The 65-year-old singer and guitarist shot himself in the chest on Thursday, June 7 at his home in Nashville, Tennessee and the National Songwriters Association's executive director, Bart Herbison, explained that Welch was concerned about his recovery from spinal surgery and feared becoming a burden to his wife:

"It had become apparent to Bob that he was not going to recover, that he was going to become an invalid. He had seen his father become an invalid and watched his mother care for him for many years."

Local newspapers have also reported that a suicide note left by Welch, addressed to his wife, read:

"I'm not going to do this to you."