The guitarist for Swedish pop group ABBA, who played on some of the band’s most popular songs during the 1970s and 1980s, has died.
The musician, who was 70 years old, passed away on Sunday. His family released a statement regarding his death.
The statement released by his family said that the guitarist, who was known as Lasse, passed away peacefully on Good Friday after he was diagnosed with cancer.
He was surrounded by his family when he died. The connection between Wellander and the group dates back to when they won the 1974 European Song Contest with their song Waterloo.
In October of that year, he made his debut with the group after playing on some of their songs, such as Crazy World.
He continued to play on various of the band’s songs throughout the following years.
After the band’s disbandment in 1982, Wellander worked as a session guitarist for other artists in Sweden.
He then released his own albums. The official website of ABBA noted that he started playing the guitar when he was in the 1960s. He first met the band’s members Benny and Bjorn during the 1970s.
Apart from working on the band’s studio albums, Wellander also toured with the group during their peak of fame in the 1970s.
He was one of the most sought-after session musicians in the country. In 2005, he received an award from the Royal Academy of Music.
In 2018, he received another award from the Swedish Musicians Union.
