At 70, ABBA Guitarist Dies From Cancer As Band Members Pay Their Respects

Apr 11, 2023

ABBA was a cultural and international phenomenon ever since the band formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 1972. The famous Swedish pop group — which was made up of two men and two women who happened to be couples — achieved international stardom and topped the charts from 1974 to 1983 around the world. Their songs have left a lasting impact on pop music and are still listened to around the world today. 

The members of ABBA are Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, who was more commonly known by the nickname Frida. 

To date, ABBA has sold 385 million albums and singles worldwide, which makes them one of the top-selling artists in history. And while the band didn't announce they were officially breaking up, they ended up going on an indefinite hiatus that saw them begin to focus on solo projects in the mid-'80s. 

In the end, they didn't reunite for over three decades — that is, until 2016 when the stirrings of a possible reunion were once again sparked. That year, the quartet was reunited when they all attended a party for "Mamma Mia!" in Stockholm. Later in the same year, they played together at a private party, before a manager announced that they would finally reunite on a "new entertainment experience." 

In 2018, the group announced they'd recorded two new songs together, and after delays due to the pandemic, the band was able to continue recording together in 2020. Finally, in September 2021, ABBA released "Voyage," their first album together in 40 years. What's more, they performed together again live in an innovative digital concert event.

However, sadly in April 2023, the band announced their longtime guitarist, Lasse Wellander, had passed away from cancer at the age of 70. Read on for the band's moving tribute to their fellow musician.

Wellander began his professional career in 1968 at the age of 16 in the band Peps & Blues Quality. They disbanded in 1970 but reformed under the name Nature, under which they played together until 1977. This is when the guitarist formed his own band called Wellander & Ronander.

But it was Wellander's work with ABBA that left the biggest mark on his career. The guitarist worked with the iconic band on most of their recordings, including all eight of their albums, as well as touring with them from 1975 to 1980. Wellander was also a collaborator with ABBA for both "Mamma Mia!" films and their return to music on "Voyage," while his collaboration with Andersson and Ulvaeus extended to their "Chess" project. Wellander also collaborated with dozens of other musicians, who were mostly Swedish.

News of the guitarist's death was announced by his family on his official Facebook page. Translated from his native Swedish, they wrote:

"It is with indescribable sadness that we have to announce that our beloved Lasse has fallen asleep. Lasse recently fell ill with what turned out to be widespread cancer and early on Good Friday he passed away quietly, surrounded by those closest to him."

They spoke about who Wellander was as a person:

"You were a great musician and humble like few, but most of all you were a wonderful husband, father, brother, uncle and grandfather. Kind, safe, caring and loving... and so much more, that cannot be described in words. A hub in our lives, and it is unimaginable that we now have to live on without you."

The message ended with "We love and miss you so much," from "Lena, Ludvig and Andréas." Accompanying the moving tribute was a photo of Wellander doing what he loved best — playing guitar.

On top of his collaborations with ABBA and other artists, Wellander also had a thriving solo career that consisted of more than 10 albums, which were mostly instrumental works. The last album he released was in 2006, although he did drop three singles in 2022.

ABBA honored their longstanding collaborator on their official Instagram page. Alongside a photo of him playing onstage, surrounded by the group's members, they put out a statement that read:

"Lasse was a dear friend, a fun guy and a superb guitarist. The importance of his creative input in his recording studio as well as his rock solid guitar work on stage was immense. We mourn his tragic and premature death and remember the kind words, the sense of humour, the smiling face, the musical brilliance of the man who played such an integral role in the ABBA story. He will be deeply missed and never forgotten."

The tribute was signed "in their own words" by "Agnetha, Björn, Frida, Benny."

Ahead of the release of "Voyage," Andersson told the New York Times how the band only planned to release two songs but kept going after enjoying themselves so much:

“We said, ‘Shouldn’t we write a few other songs, just for fun?’” Andersson told the newspaper. “And the girls (Fältskog and Lyngstad) said, ‘Yeah, that will be fun.’ So they came in and we had five songs. And we said, ‘Shouldn’t we do a few others? We can release an album.’”

ABBA was thrilled to be back together, as they broke new ground with their digital concert event that featured "ABBAtars" — digital holograms of the four band members — as well as a live 10-piece band.

Our thoughts are with Lasse Wellander's family and friends. Are you a fan of ABBA? What is your favorite song of theirs? Let us know, then pass this on to other fans of theirs you know.