ABBA pays tribute to longtime guitarist Lasse Wellander, who passed away at 70

Gus Stewart/Redferns

The members of ABBA have taken to social media to pay tribute to their longtime guitarist Lasse Wellander, who passed away at the age of 70 on Friday, April 7.

“Lasse was a dear friend, a fun guy, and a superb guitarist,” read a joint statement posted to Instagram by ABBA members Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. “The importance of his creative input in the recording studio as well as his rock-solid guitar work on stage was immense.”

They add, “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.”

News of Wellander’s death was first announced by his family in a Facebook post. “It is with indescribable sadness that we have to announce that our beloved Lasse has fallen asleep,” they write. “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.”