Introduction
“How ABBA’s 2 Marriages And Divorces SPLIT The Group!”
ABBA’s history was defined not only by their groundbreaking music but also by the fact that the band was made up of two real-life couples: Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog, and Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Their marriages, and eventual divorces, ultimately contributed to the band’s split in the early 1980s.
Björn and Agnetha met in the late 1960s and married in 1971, having two children together while enjoying ABBA’s global rise. But after years of touring and mounting pressures, they divorced in 1979. Soon after, ABBA released “The Winner Takes It All”, a song that became a symbol of their breakup, with Agnetha delivering its raw, emotional lyrics. Though they publicly called it a “happy divorce,” Agnetha later admitted it was painful and that she needed therapy to cope.
Benny and Anni-Frid began their relationship around 1969, married in 1978, and divorced just three years later in 1981. Benny quickly remarried TV producer Mona Nörklid. Both Benny and Anni-Frid later said their split was the result of growing apart and pursuing different life goals, though they insisted they remained friends and worked together professionally even after the marriage ended.
By 1982, with both couples separated, ABBA found it increasingly difficult to create music together, leading to the band stepping away from the spotlight. While rumors of reunions circulated for years, it wasn’t until much later that ABBA resurfaced, first with the success of the Mamma Mia musical and films, and finally with their digital comeback in the ABBA Voyage project, which used virtual avatars to bring the band back to the stage in 2022.
The divorces may have fractured ABBA personally, but they also fueled some of the group’s most powerful songs, ensuring their legacy lived on long after the marriages had ended.