Sad news is coming from Sweden this morning.
Lasse Wellander, who has been ABBA‘s guitarist, died at the of 70.
He passed away on Friday.
You can find the official statement here:
ABBA band won Eurovision 1974 with the song “Waterloo“. They represented Sweden, obtaining the country’s first win in Eurovision.
ABBA band consists of 4 members: Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson
and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
In recent months, the band went on a world tour – “ABBA Voyage”
Lasse Wellander
His first ABBA session was in October 1974 when Intermezzo No.1 and Crazy World were recorded. Lasse soon became the main guitarist on ABBA’s albums, and toured with them in 1975, 1977, 1979 and 1980.
Wellander joined ABBA as the group toured Europe, Australia, and Japan over the next half-decade. He is credited on every album the group put out between 1975 and 1981.
He has continued working with Björn and Benny in the post-ABBA period. He appeared on the Chess concept album, the two Gemini albums, the 1993 Josefin Nilsson album Shapes and on the soundtrack to Mamma Mia! The Movie and its sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Lasse also played on the Agnetha Fältskog albums Wrap Your Arms Around Me from 1983 and My Colouring Book from 2004 and on the ABBA album “Voyage“, released in 2021.
Lasse has also released 7 solo albums, two of which entered the Top 40 album charts in the mid-1980s. In 1992, he had a big radio hit with his instrumental version of the Chess song Anthem. In 2005, he received the Albin Hagström Memorial Award from The Royal Swedish Academy of Music and, in 2018, the Swedish Musicians Union’s prestigious special prize Studioräven Award for his work as a session musician. Since 2017, Lasse has recorded and produced new music under his own name again.
His family released a statement:
“It is with indescribable sadness that we have to announce that our beloved Lasse has fallen asleep. Lasse recently fell ill in what turned out to be disseminated cancer and early on Good Friday he passed away, surrounded by his loved ones.”
ESCBEAT team feels sorry for the great loss of a great musician.
May he rest in peace.
