Goodbye Marie Fredriksson, Thank You For Your Music

Marie Fredriksson, the singer of Roxette, has passed away at the age of 61 after a long illness, news sources confirm. A statement released says that the singer passed away on Monday, the 9th of December after a "17 year-long battle with cancer".  Marie Fredriksson's family said in a statement, reported The Guardian, "It is with great sadness that we have to announce that one of our biggest and most beloved artists is gone.”

Marie Fredriksson: A Beloved Voice

A popular and successful Swedish singer-songwriter, Marie Fredriksson is known best for forming pop-rock duo Roxette. Fredriksson's partner in Roxette, Per Gessle, came together with her in 1986 on the advice of a Swedish record label company. Prior to this, Marie Fredriksson was a successful solo artist in Sweden. She was also a member of punk group Strul. Marie Fredriksson and Gessle called themselves Roxette. They were a hit in Sweden but they only became a household name in the US when an American exchange student took their second album back to Minneapolis and handed it to a radio station.

A popular and successful Swedish singer-songwriter, Marie Fredriksson is known best for forming pop-rock duo Roxette. Fredriksson's partner in Roxette, Per Gessle, came together with her in 1986 on the advice of a Swedish record label company.

They had four US no.1 hits. Roxette sold an estimated 75 million records worldwide and recorded 10 studio albums. Marie Fredriksson also released eight solo albums, three of which topped the Swedish charts. She scored her first chart-topping solo single with Där Du Andas.

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Her Illness

Marie Fredriksson was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2002, after collapsing in her kitchen following a workout. The tumour cost her the vision in her right eye. Roxette went on hiatus while she was recovering. However, after aggressive treatment, she was able to return to public life. She toured successfully again with Roxette from 2008 to 2016.

In 2016, her doctors advised her to prioritize her health over her career. Roxette's final album, Good Karma, came out in June 2016.

In a statement, Gessle paid tribute to his partner. He said “Time goes by so fast. It feels like just recently when Marie and I were sitting in my little apartment in Halmstad sharing dreams. And what a fantastic dream we got to share! Thank you Marie, thank you for everything. You were a truly unique musician, a singer on a level we will hardly ever experience again. You painted my black and white songs with the most beautiful colours.” Her manager Marie Dimberg added, "Marie leaves us a grand musical legacy. Her amazing voice - both strong and sensitive - and her magical live performances will be remembered by all of us who were lucky enough to witness them. But we also remember a wonderful person with a huge appetite for life, and a woman with a very big heart who cared for everybody she met."

Fredriksson is survived by her husband, music producer Mikael Bolyos, who she married in 1994, and their two children: Josefin Bolyos, 26, and Oscar Bolyos, 23.

Picture Credit: WikiCommons

Prapti is an intern at SheThePeople.TV