Fleetwood Mac (1987)

Fleetwood Mac's 1987 firing of Lindsey Buckingham stands as rock's most dysfunctional split, fueled by years of romantic entanglements among five band members and rampant substance abuse. Despite selling 40 million copies of Rumours, the internal battles became unsustainable after Buckingham's increasingly erratic behavior derailed studio sessions for Tango in the Night. This breakup was messier than Simon & Garfunkel's 1970 split because Fleetwood Mac's drama lasted over 30 years of on-again-off-again tours and legal fights over royalties. The band's 1998 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame required a fragile truce, highlighting that personal ties can fracture even the most commercially successful acts.