ABBA has broken their silence following the news of the death of their bandmate.
It has been confirmed that Lasse Wellander, the long-time guitarist for the Swedish pop group, has passed away aged 70.
In an emotional statement released on Sunday, the legendary guitarist's family confirmed the news.
"It is with indescribable sadness that we have to announce that our beloved Lasse has fallen asleep," the statement read. "You were an amazing musician and humble as few, but above all you were a wonderful husband, father, brother, uncle and grandfather."
It continued: "Kind, safe, caring and loving... and so much more, that cannot be described in words. A hub in our lives, and it's unbelievable that we now have to live on without you.
"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. We love and miss you so much," the family concluded.
Throughout his career, Wellander was known to be a gifted musician. His love of music started early on when he was a child but his professional career started at the age of 16 in Peps & Blues Quality, leading him to work with a range of artists in the years to follow including the Swedish powerhouse group ABBA.
Wellander worked on a massive portion of ABBA's music throughout the years and even toured with the band throughout the 70s and 80s. One of his final stints also involved the band's latest studio album titled Voyage, which was released in 2021 and featured 10 new tracks.
When the band broke up, Wellander went on to collaborate with other major Swedish artists, and in 2018, he was also honored with the Swedish Musicians Union’s Studioräven Award for his work.
Upon hearing the news, tributes for the beloved star poured in. "It’s very sad to hear that the brilliant guitarist Lasse Wellander has gone, he was the guitarist of ABBA and many other coalitions in the Swedish music industry. One that I loved during my youth was Wellander-Ronander that at the time was just brilliant," wrote one devastated fan.
Another fan added: "Sad news arrived; beloved guitarist Lasse Wellander has died last Friday after a short and heavy illness. He was such a lovely person and a great musician."
And now ABBA themselves have spoken out about the loss too.
In a statement released on Monday, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad referred to the guitarist as a "dear friend, a fun guy and a superb guitarist who will be deeply missed."
"The importance of his creative input in the recording studio as well as his rock solid guitar work on stage was immense," they continued as per the Daily Mail. "We mourn his tragic and premature death and remember the kind words, the sense of humor, 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," the statement concluded.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Wellander's loved ones during this difficult time.