10 April 2023 , 11:24
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ABBA have paid tribute to their guitarist Lasse Wellander after his death aged 70 following a short battle with cancer.
The band described the musician as a "dear friend, a fun guy and a superb guitarist" who will be "deeply missed".
In a statement, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad said: "The importance of his creative input in the 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."
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ABBA has paid tribute to Lasse
ABBA guitarist Lasse Wellander has died aged 70 (Gus Stewart)Lasse died on Good Friday, with his family announcing the heart-breaking news on Easter Sunday.
In a statement, his family penned: "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 cancer that had spread, and early on Good Friday he passed away surrounded by his loved ones."
The statement continued: "You were a fantastic musician and humble like few, but above all, you were a wonderful husband, brother, grandmother, and grandfather."
He is said to have played a big part in most of the iconic band's recordings and tours throughout the '70s and '80s and also had a hand in creating the groups latest album titled Voyager, which was released in 2021.
He played on a total of 24 of the band's studio recordings, including all of their eight studio albums. He was a mainstay on their final tour between 1979 and 1980, which saw the band play their hit tunes to sold-out audiences across the globe.
Thankfully for Lasse - who joined Peps & Blues Quality alongside Peps Persson when he was 16 years old - his career didn't end when ABBA quit first time around.
As well as ABBA, he played alongside a number of other bands and artists from Sweden. He also released a self-titled debut album in 1981, before producing and releasing 11 more over the years.