ABBA blog

Saturday, 13 June 2026, saw the sad announcement that Görel Hanser had passed away. "It is with the deepest sorrow that we announce the passing of Görel Hanser," wrote Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Frida in a statement on ABBA's official website. "We have lost our most loved friend and closest colleague. The loss is immeasurable. We ask that you respect our privacy in this time of grief."

Görel started out as ABBA manager Stig Anderson's secretary in 1969, soon becoming his invaluable right-hand woman, and, in 1979, acquiring the title of Vice President of Polar Music International. She worked closely with the ABBA members and developed personal friendships with them. After the ABBA years, she set up shop with Benny, being involved in all his projects, while continuing to represent ABBA, handling most enquiries and ensuring that their interests were protected.

My contact with Görel started in the early 1990s, when I was researching and writing my first ABBA book, ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions. Not only did she help me set up my interviews with Björn, Benny and Frida, but she also facilitated many other aspects of the project and saw to it that I got what I needed when I needed it. She did so several times over the ensuing decades, not least when I collaborated with her then-husband Anders Hanser on the book From ABBA To Mamma Mia!.

It may sound trivial, but my most cherished memories of Görel were the many times she consulted her old calendars from the ABBA-era to help me nail down certain dates. For an ABBA researcher, those calendars were gold. I would send an email with my requests and then she would usually phone me up with whatever she had found. Being a busy lady, with her plate full of projects related to the present day – and, as I believe she told an interviewer once, not one for looking back very much – it would have been easy for her to say no to these requests to go back in time on my behalf, but if she could help, she did.

I knew that I could count on a straightforward reply and reaction whenever I emailed her to let her know what I was up to, which I usually did if I was embarking on an ABBA-related project. Also, by the many posts I've seen online over the past couple of days, I can tell that she always treated ABBA fans with kindness. My condolences go out to her family and everybody else who knew her well.

Thanks for everything, Görel.