The members of ABBA paid tribute Monday to their longtime guitarist Lasse Wellander.
Wellander died last Friday after a battle with cancer, according to a statement from his family. He was 70.
“Lasse was a dear friend, a fun guy and a superb guitarist,” reads a statement on the pop group’s Instagram. “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.”
ABBA's Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad said Wellander “will be deeply missed and never forgotten.”
In a statement on Facebook, Wallander’s family said he succumbed to cancer surrounded by his loved ones. They described him as a “humble” musician as well as a “wonderful husband, father, brother, uncle and grandfather.”
Wellander started working with ABBA in 1975. Following their split in 1982, he collaborated with many other Swedish artists, earning him an award from the Swedish Musicians Union in 2018.
Lasse Wellander, pictured in 1979. Gus Stewart / Redferns/Getty Images