Marie Fredriksson: The Voice of Roxette Who Came Back to the Stage When No One Expected It
She took a Swedish duo to the top of the charts around the world. Then she faced a brain tumor, and even so, she sang again.
In the late ’80s, the idea of a Swedish band hitting No. 1 in the US was almost unthinkable. Roxette did it four times in three years. And a big part of the reason had a name: Marie Fredriksson.
She was born in 1958 in Össjö, a small village in southern Sweden. With Per Gessle she formed Roxette, and between 1989 and 1991 they racked up “The Look,” “Listen to Your Heart,” “It Must Have Been Love” and “Joyride.” That voice, powerful and raw at the same time, was unmistakable.
On September 11, 2002, Marie collapsed at home. Tests revealed a brain tumor. Then came surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, and a long stretch away from everything.
What happened next is what makes her a legend. In 2004 she was back in the studio, with a solo album called The Change. And a few years later she was singing live again, back with Roxette, in front of her fans.
She kept going until 2016, when her doctors asked her to stop touring. She died on December 9, 2019, at 61.
Her songs still play every day on radio stations around the world. This one included.
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