Görel Hanser obit

ABBA in mourning - Görel Hanser dead

 He was not on the list.

ABBA's longtime collaborator Görel Hanser has died at the age of 78. She was the Swedish supergroup's right-hand woman for decades.

The four members of ABBA announced the passing of Görel Hanser on social media.

"It is with the deepest sadness that we announce the passing of Görel Hanser. We have lost our most beloved friend and closest colleague. It is a huge loss," the members of ABBA wrote in a post on Instagram.

Görel Hanser began working as an assistant to Stikkan Anderson, who was ABBA's manager at the start of the group's success, in the 1960s. The members of ABBA parted ways with Stikkan Anderson in the 1980s, and Görel Hanser later became the group's manager and close collaborator, an important cog in the large empire the members built around various projects.

Görel Hanser was married to photographer Anders Hanser, who took many of the classic photos of ABBA in the 1970s.