Kirwan performed with the group from 1968 to 1972, appearing on the albums "Then Play On," ''Blues Jam at Chess," ''Kiln House," Future Games" and "Bare Trees."
"Danny was a huge force in our early years. His love for the Blues led him to being asked to join Fleetwood Mac in 1968, where he made his musical home for many years," Mick Fleetwood wrote in a post on Facebook. "Danny's true legacy, in my mind, will forever live on in the music he wrote and played so beautifully as a part of the foundation of Fleetwood Mac, that has now endured for over fifty years."
Kirwan was among the eight members of the band -- along with Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Peter Green, John McVie, Christine McVie and Jeremy Spencer -- who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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