Michael B. Tretow died: Band Abba mourns the loss of legendary sound engineers

The Swedish cult band Abba is united in grief for its decades of sound engineering, which was responsible for the legendary sound of the pop group. Michael B. Tretow (1944-2025) died on May 20 at the age of 80, as his son Rasmus Tretow and his wife Malin Hertzman confirmed to the Swedish newspaper “Aftonbladet”.

All four ABBA members spoke up with rare statements that were published. Benny Andersson (78) said: “You have four more than anyone at ABBA. I hope and believe that you have felt it over the years since we worked (and laughed continuously) in the studio.” Tretow made the music “timeless” so that she could live on. He is the “best sound engineer the world has ever seen”.

Björn Ulvaeus (80) added: “Its meaning for ABBA cannot be assessed highly enough. He was a warm, generous person and a good friend. Thank you, pulling, for all the laughs!” Singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad (79) paid tribute to the deceased with the words: “With your never-ending creativity, warmth and joy you were the security factor in our small studio bubble, and nobody fit as well as you!

And Agnetha Fältskog (75) recalled a last meeting: “I am so happy that I could spend some time with you a few weeks ago … you were so sick, but your laugh and your humor were still there.” She emphasized: “We are now sad, a talented and unique person left us. Sleep well, mixture, you stay in our hearts forever.”

Michael B. Tretow was considered the “fifth member” of ABBA and an enthusiastic studio tinkerer. Among other things, he produced the unforgettable ABBA titles “Ring-Ring”, “Waterloo” and “Super Trouper”. In 2001 he suffered a severe stroke, which is why he could not work on the comeback album “Voyage”.