Swedish guitarist and composer Georg ”Jojje” Wadenius has died at age 80, his manager told TT. The death came unexpectedly on Friday morning, shocking friends and family. The music industry hails him as a pioneering musician and one of the founders of the Swedish music miracle.
Georg ”Jojje” Wadenius died on Friday morning, May 1, 2026. A neighbor found him dead in bed in his home after he failed to show for a meeting with friends the previous day and did not answer his phone, his daughter Annika Wadenius Erlich said. ”He was in full swing. He lived an exciting life”, she said.
His manager confirmed the death to TT. Wadenius, born 1945 on Kungsholmen in Stockholm, was 80. A self-taught guitarist and one of Sweden's most prominent musicians, he broke through with Made in Sweden in 1968 and achieved international success with Blood, Sweat & Tears in the 1970s.
Friends mourn a close friend and musical genius. Pianist Lotta Hasselquist Nilsson, who was set to perform with him in Gothenburg next week, said: ”One of the good ones in the world.” Singer Helen Sjöholm, who performed with him in Karlstad a week ago, described him as ”a great musician, with boundless musicality”.
Tommy Körberg called him ”a god-given guitarist” and Janne Schaffer one of the founders of the Swedish music miracle. Tomas Ledin highlighted his range from rock to children's music, including collaborations with Aretha Franklin and Barbro Lindgren. The family plans a burial in Oslo next to his wife Brit Grønnevik, who died in 2022.
