Lasse Wellander, ABBA’s guitarist for almost three decades, has died after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 70. His family and friends sent an emotional message on Facebook describing their “indescribable sadness” after hearing the news.
We have terrible news: our beloved Lasse died peacefully while sleeping. “Lasse recently became ill with what turned out to be widespread cancer, and he passed away early on Good Friday.”
Members of Wellander’s family have praised him as a “wonderful” father, husband, brother, grandpa, and uncle, among other praiseworthy qualities. All four original members of ABBA—Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid (“Frida”) Lyngstad, and Benny Andersson—paid tribute to Wellander in an Instagram post.
After his birth in 1952, Wellander spent his childhood in the Swedish towns of Skrekarhyttan and Nora. Per his website, he started on recorder and accordion until The Beatles converted him to guitar. After working as a musician and producer in the music business for a while before being invited to join ABBA’s recording sessions by Ulvaeus and Andersson in 1974, he did just that.
After the splits of Ulvaeus and Fältskog in 1979 and Andersson and Lyngstad in 1981, Wellander remained with ABBA for a very long period. He was involved in marketing, recording, and making the music for both “Mamma Mia!” movies. He significantly influenced “Voyage,” ABBA’s comeback album released in 2021.
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Wellander’s career didn’t begin and end with ABBA; in the ’80s, he also recorded and performed with the Stockholm All Stars and the Low Budget Blues Band, not to mention Zkiffz. He also owned a restaurant and club on Sweden’s western coast.
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