Abba drummer dies

Rhythm has learnt that former Abba drummer Ola Brunkert was found dead in his garden on Sunday with cuts to his neck on the Spanish island of Mallorca. An autopsy has concluded that the death was an accident.

A spokesmna said Brunkert hit his head against a glass door in his dining room, shattering the glass and cutting himself in the neck. He managed to wrap a towel around his neck and left the house to seek help, but collapsed in the garden.

Abba band member Benny Anderson told Swedish daily newspaper Expressen he was sad to hear of the drummer's death. "It is tragic," he said.

Brunkert first played with Abba on the group's first single, 'People Need Love,' and toured with the band in 1977, 1979 and 1980. He had been a jazz drummer and a member of the blues band Slim's Blues Gang, before joining pop group Science Poption in the mid-1960s.

Chris Barnes

I'm MusicRadar's eCommerce Editor. It's my job to manage the buyer's guides on MusicRadar and help musicians find the right gear and the best prices. I'm a guitarist and a drummer and I've worked in the music gear industry for 18 years, including 7 years as Editor of the UK's best-selling drum magazine Rhythm, and 5 years as a freelance writer working with many of the world's biggest musical instrument brands including the likes of Roland, Boss, MusicRadar and Natal.