Born in 1950, Agnetha Fältskog (pictured here in 1970) actually achieved success in Sweden in 1968 when she released a self-titled debut album, but her work with ABBA saw her soar to global stardom.
Fältskog met Björn Ulvaeus, who was then a member of the Hootenanny Singers, in 1968, and the duo married in July 1971 in the village of Verum. Fellow ABBA member Benny Andersson played the organ at their wedding.
Fältskog and Ulvaeus welcomed their first child Linda Elin Ulvaeus in 1973, and for a short period following the birth, Fältskog was replaced by Inger Brundin as ABBA toured West Germany. Their son, Peter Christian Ulvaeus, was born in 1977.
In late 1978, after seven years of marriage, Fältskog and Ulvaeus separated, and their divorce was finalised in July 1980. Both partners agreed not to let their marriage dissolution affect their responsibilities with ABBA, though Ulvaeus did write their hit The Winner Takes It All based on their separation. Fältskog has said her split from Ulvaeus affected her greatly, and she needed therapy afterwards.
Fältskog also had a fear of flying, which was worsened in 1979 when ABBA’s plane, heading to Boston in Massachusetts, had a fuel shortage, hit a tornado, and had to perform an emergency landing. In 2013, she said she was still undergoing therapy to deal with that fear.
As a result of that fear, when Fältskog was embarking on her solo career, she would travel by bus, but she also experienced a bus accident in 1983 on a Swedish motorway.
Throughout her career, Fältskog has also reportedly suffered from stage fright, a fear of crowds and open spaces, as well as a fear of heights.
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