The TV personality and former journalist Sven Melander has died at the age of 74 after fighting illness several times. Melander's comic talent made him a beloved and well-known actor, a profession he slipped into by chance.

Just two years after he was declared healthy from a bout of cancer, Sven Melander announced in the autumn that he had been hit again by another strain.

The family writes in an email that Sven Melander fell asleep peacefully and quietly surrounded by his immediate family on Thursday.

He turned 74 years old.

“We are grateful for all the support and care shown to both him and us during this time.

Dad was in the end close to laughter and was curious about both people and the world.

We hope this is how he will remember and we are happy and proud of the impressions he has made in many people's lives.

We already miss him and wish we could mourn him in peace ", says his son Victor Melander in a statement.

Sven Melander as host of the program Nöjesmaskinen 1980.

History

Sven Melander was born in Malmö in 1947. He first trained as a civil engineer but soon realized that it was not for him.

After a couple of turns as a nurse at a mental hospital, he began studying at the School of Journalism in Gothenburg.

After graduating, he first got a job at Expressen's Malmö editorial office and later moved on to Aftonbladet in Stockholm, where he was offered a summer temporary position.

He stayed at Aftonbladet for 13 years, as a sports reporter, evening manager and entertainment manager.

- Perhaps the happiest time in my professional life, Sven Melander himself has said about his years as an evening newspaper journalist.

In the summer of 1979, Sven Melander met Lasse Åberg by chance at a party in Skåne.

One led to the other and in 1980 Melander got the role of the jovial and spirited Bertil "Berra" Olsson in Åberg's later classic comedy film Sällskapsresan.

From the recording of Sällskapsresan in San Agustin on Gran Canaria 1980. Fv Sven Melander, Lasse Åberg and Weiron Holmberg.

Photo: Gunnar Lantz / TT

Led the "Entertainment Massacre"

Sven Melander in Nöjesmassakern 1985. Photo: Lars Wiklund / SVT

Thus, his career in stage, film and television was underway and in 1985 he left journalism for good.

Among other things, he led the program "Nöjesmaskinen" together with Stina Lundberg Dabrowski 1982–1984 and then the more pure sketch program "Nöjesmassakern".

Sven Melander and Stina Lundberg as hosts for Nöjesmaskinen 1983. Photo: Bo-Aje Mellin / SVT

The journalist and entertainer Åke Cato (left), who has been dead since 2016, and Sven Melander from the days as host of the Entertainment Massacre in 1988. Photo: Bertil S-son Åberg / SVT

Melander recruited his Aftonbladet colleague Åke Cato and together they became immensely popular as the TV chef duo Werner and Werner.

In 1988, they recorded a single, "Our Christmas ham has escaped", which was on the Swedish top for three weeks.

Sven Melander and Åke Cato as the chefs Werner and Werner in the entertainment program Tack För Kaffet 1991. Photo: Björn Edergren / SVT

In 1986-89, he was head of Kanal 1's entertainment editorial staff at SVT.

He took over the role of host in the satire program "Talk about news" after Stellan Sundahl's death in 2000.

Stefan Grundin, Sven Melander, Thomas Oredsson in Snacka om nyheter 2013. Photo: Markus Lindgren / SVT

From theater to Youtube

Sven Melander's main occupation since the 1980s, however, was participation in various theater productions and pub shows.

The role as Berra in "Sällskapsresan" was repeated by Sven Melander in the musical of the same name from 2015.

Picture from the theater production Sällskapsresan 2015 with Anders "Ankan" Johansson (center) in the lead role, Sven Melander (right) and Hans-Erik Dyberg (left).

Photo: Ola Torkelsson / TT

In 2016, he began to get noticed for his Youtube channel "In the head of Sven Melander", where he addressed current political issues and also interviewed all party leaders.

Got political profile

In 2016, Sven Melander caught the eye when he took a stand for Zara Larsson's "I hate men" statement.

The call for all men to feel collective guilt over violence against women generated four million clicks and for Sven Melander to get a political profile, with many hateful comments as a result.

- I think the whole Metoo movement started then, with Zara Larsson, not with Harvey Weinstein.

The issue of abuse against women had been bubbling for a long time when she put her finger on it.

I admire her immensely for her courage and foresight, he told TT in 2018.

That same year, he spoke openly about his cancer diagnosis and the tumor that had been removed from his body.

He received chemotherapy and was declared healthy.

Honorary award

Melander was awarded the Honorary Award of the Year 2019 for giving joy, warmth and wisdom in films and TV programs such as Nöjesmaskinen on SVT for almost 50 years.

Sven Melander receives this year's honorary award at Kristallen 2019 at Cirkus in Stockholm.

Photo: Jonas Ekströmer / TT

In recent years, he appeared in many different contexts, including "Stars at the castle", "Everyone against everyone" and also as the first to leave "Masked singer" on TV4 after appearing in a penguin costume.

Sven Melander dances with the actor Kajsa Ernst under the Stars at the castle 2018. Photo: Ulrika Midunger / SVT

Watch SVT Nyheter's broadcast due to Sven Melander's death below.

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Sven Melander is dead - turned 74 years old