Swedish musician Lasse (aka Lars) Berghagen has passed away in hospital, aged 78.
According to a report from Aftonbladet, his daughter Malin explained that Berghagen had been sedated for several weeks after a heart operation, but woke up at the end of September. His health had been in decline for some time, and he was forced to cancel some summer performances as a result.
Berghagen is remembered in the Eurovision community for having competed in Melodifestivalen three times in a row in the 1970s.
His first attempt was in 1973 when he entered with a song he wrote himself, Ding-dong. The juries were not big fans of the song, which ended the night in 7th place with just 3 points. SVT has destroyed the recording of the 1973 edition, but you can see him perform the song at Lotta på Liseberg back in 2016 when he was 71.
Berghagen came back in 1974 with another self-penned song, Min kärlekssång till dig (My love song to you). This time he came second behind ABBA’s Waterloo, with 211 points under a new voting system.
On his third and final Melodifestivalen appearance, he emerged victorious with Jennie Jennie and went on to represent Sweden at its first Eurovision on home soil, where he achieved a respectable 8th place in the Final.
In addition to these three classics, Berghagen was also a songwriter for three more Melodifestvalen entries. Consequently, he was among the first Swedish artists inducted into the Melodifestvalen Hall of Fame in its inaugural year in 2020.
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Lasse.
