Longtime ABBA guitarist Lasse Wellander dies at 70

Lasse Wellander, the Swedish musician and longtime guitarist for ABBA, has died. He was 70. The news was first announced by his family on Wallender's Facebook page, and additionally confirmed by a statement from ABBA on their official Instagram account.

"It is with indescribable sadness that we have to announce that our beloved Lasse has fallen asleep," a translated statement from the family reads. "Lasse recently fell ill in what turned out to be spread cancer and early on Good Friday he passed away, surrounded by his loved ones."

In their joint statement, the four founding members of ABBA — Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad — credited Wellander for playing "such an integral role in the ABBA story."

"Lasse was a dear friend, a fun guy, and a superb guitarist," they wrote. "The importance of his creative input in the recording studio as well as his rock-solid guitar work on stage was immense."

Born in 1952 in the Swedish village of Skrekarhyttan, Wellander first picked up the guitar after seeing The Beatles perform on the Swedish TV program Drop In around 1963. According to his official website, music was much more interesting than the other activities available to a young person in wintry Sweden at the time, such as "weighing yourself at the train station."

Gus Stewart/Redferns Lasse Wellander performs with ABBA at London's Wembley Arena in 1979

Wellander became a professional musician in 1968, playing in bands Blues Quality and then Nature. While touring with musician Ted Gärdestad in 1974, Wellander met Ulvaeus and Andersson, who recruited him to work with ABBA. According to Wellander's biography on ABBA's website, he then became the main guitarist on ABBA's albums and toured with them in 1975, 1977, 1979 and 1980. Wellander also contributed to the film soundtracks for Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, as well as the band's 2021 comeback album Voyage.

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