Written by: Alex Green

Guitarist Robert “Strängen” Dahlqvist, who played for the Swedish garage rock outfit The Hellacopters as well as the band Thunder Express has died.

Dahlqvist was 40.

At this point the cause of death is unknown.

Buoyed by a heavy blast of garage stomp and gruff rhythms, The Hellacopters may have been known worldwide, but they were rather massive in their native Sweden, winning a Grammy for their debut Supershitty To The Max. Although not a founding member of the band, Dahlqvist joined in 1999, four years after their inception. He played on their final four albums as well as a host of singles and EPs.

The Hellacopters disbanded in 2008.

Born in Uddevalla, Dahlqvist was a huge Kiss fan as a young boy. In his adult life he was given the nickname “Strängen” which is Swedish for “strings.” The musician earned the moniker, which was given to him by his bandmates, because of all the strings he would break in the studio.

Dahlqvist broke a five-year musical hiatus to release the solo single “Rocken är inte död! (Rock isn’t dead!)” on his 40th birthday in April of 2016. Not long after, news of a solo album began to surface with reports that Dahlqvist was working on it diligently in the studio. The final sessions for the record were reportedly completed a few days before his death.

There has been no comment about whether or not that record will be released.