Gorel Hanser, the Steward of ABBA’s Legacy, Dies at 76

ABBA’s website has confirmed the death of Gorel Hanser, often called the group’s “fifth member.” She was 76.

Hired as a secretary by manager Stig Anderson in 1969, Hanser soon became vice president of Polar Music, the company that licensed ABBA’s records worldwide. She handled press, travelled with the band, and became a trusted confidante. After the four members cut ties with Anderson in the late 1980s, Hanser took up the unglamorous work of looking after their catalogue and legacy.

In a 2024 BBC interview, marking 50 years since their Eurovision win, she recalled the return to Stockholm after victory: “A couple of days later they came into the office and everything was the same as usual. We were all so happy … but it was like ‘now we have to work’.” Her favourite song was “Dancing Queen.” “I remember when it entered the Billboard charts when it was Number One – then we had champagne in the office the whole day.”

Hanser’s discretion was legendary. When a billion-dollar offer to reform the band arrived around the turn of the millennium, her office handled it without fanfare. “They talked about it, but it wasn’t something that you could persuade them to do,” she said. “Money has never been the drive for them.”

The band’s loyalty was deep. On her 50th birthday in 1999, they regrouped privately to sing “Happy Birthday” in Swedish.