Roxette’s Marie dies
ROXETTE SINGER DIES AT 61
SWEDISH pop singer Marie Fredriksson has died aged 61 following a long illness.
The Roxette star, who formed the duo with Per Gessle in the late 1980s, died on Monday following a 17-year battle with cancer.
She found global fame with hits It Must Have Been Love, which featured in the 1990 film Pretty Woman, Joyride, Listen To Your Heart and The Look.
The band enjoyed huge success and sold more than 80million records around the world.
They released 10 studio albums, four of which charted in the UK top 10.
In 2002, Marie collapsed and suffered a seizure while out jogging and a brain tumour was later detected.
She had surgery to remove the cancer and completed months of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. But she was left blind in one eye and with only limited hearing.
The pop duo reunited in 2010 with a tour of Europe and released their final album Good Karma in 2016.
But doctors advised her to stop touring as her health was failing.
Amazing
Bandmate Gessle, 60, paid an emotional tribute to her, saying: “Time goes by so quickly. And what a dream we eventually got to share!
“You were an outstanding musician, a master of the voice, an amazing performer.
“You were the most wonderful friend for over 40 years.
“I’m proud, honoured and happy to have been able to share so much of your time, talent, warmth, generosity and sense of humour.
“All my love goes out to you and your family. Things will never be the same.”
The band’s management firm, Dimberg Jernberg, said: “It is with great sadness that we have to announce that one of our biggest and most beloved artists is gone.
“Marie leaves us a grand musical legacy. Her amazing voice – both strong and sensitive – and her magical live performances will be remembered by all who witnessed them.
“But we also remember a wonderful person with a huge appetite for life, and woman with a very big heart who cared for everybody she met.”
She is survived by husband Mikael and their two children, daughter Inez Josefin, 26, and Oscar, 23.