‘It Must Have Been Love’ Singer Marie Fredriksson Dies At 61
Dec. 10 2019, Published 12:10 p.m. ET
Roxette singer Marie Fredriksson died at age 61 on Monday, December 9, after battling a long illness, RadarOnline.com has learned.
“It is with great sadness that we have to announce that one of our biggest and most beloved artists is gone,” her family said in a statement to Swedish newspaper Expressen.
The music icon, who rose to fame in the 1980s, was best known for her song “It Must Have Been Love,” which was included on the soundtrack to Pretty Woman, and her hits “Listen to Your Heart” and “Joyride.”
Throughout her years in the spotlight, Fredriksson suffered various ailments. In September 2002, she had a seizure in her bathroom and cracked her skull. After undergoing an MRI scan, doctors found she had a brain tumor and gave her a 25 percent chance of survival. Miraculously, the singer survived, but became weak and developed other health issues following the radiation therapy.
The band went on hiatus while Fredriksson underwent treatment, and returned to the stage in 2009. While the singer got back to performing following her health crisis, her ailments eventually got the best of her, and she was forced to retire in 2016. That year, Roxette released their final album, Good Karma.
With the band, Fredriksson sold around 75 million records worldwide, and recorded 10 studio albums. She also released eight solo albums, three of which jumped to the top of the charts in her native Sweden. In May 2018, she released her final single, “Sing Me a Song.”
“Time goes by so fast,” Fredriksson’s Roxette partner, Per Gessle, wrote in a statement after her death. “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 colors.”