Tomas Lindberg, vocalist of the trailblazing death metal band At the Gates, has passed away.
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Lindberg’s family confirmed the Swedish vocalist’s death to Sweden’s public broadcaster, SVT Nyheter, on Tuesday.
At The Gates also confirmed Lindberg’s death via Instagram, stating he died from complications related to cancer. He was 52.
In 2023, Lindberg announced his diagnosis with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a cancer affecting the glands.
“Tomas passed away this morning following complications related to his ongoing cancer treatment,” the band wrote alongside a photo of Lindberg. “Despite intensive medical efforts, his life could not be saved.”
“Tomas – You were an inspiration to us all,’ the post continued. “A true friend, both compassionate [and] sympathetic. You will always be remembered for your generosity and your creative spirit.”
“You will be eternally missed. Forever in our hearts,” the band’s post concluded.
“At the Gates was my gateway into loving death metal from the word GO!! Tomas was such a unique voice…sending all the love through the universe tubes,’ one fan wrote in the comments section. “Basically created melodic death metal. Was lucky enough to see them a few times,” a second fan added.
“They say never meet your heroes, but Tomas contradicted that in every way. Some of my greatest memories growing up involved At the Gates. He will forever be missed and remembered. RIP,” a third fan wrote.
Tomas Lindberg’s Final Message to Fans
Lindberg entered long-term care after an unspecified setback in May. Earlier, in March, Lindberg wrote a message to fans, which his bandmates shared on Aug. 15.
“First, there was a major surgery, where they took away a big part of the roof of the mouth. This was followed by radiation therapy for two months, and ever since, it has been a long, hard path towards recovery,” Lindberg wrote in part.
Lindberg shared that in early 2023, “some remains of the cancer” were found that are “inaccessible by surgery or radiation.”
“So, we will see what the next step is, but probably some form of chemo therapy, to keep the cancer in check,” he wrote. He also noted that the band “luckily” recorded vocals for their new album’s demos before his health declined.
“We have now decided to not wait any longer to release this new album,” he added. “We had first planned to wait with the release until we knew if/when I would be able to sing again, and we were able to support the release with shows.”
Lindberg also mentioned the band didn’t want to sensationalize his diagnosis.
“I won’t be answering interviews concerning the cancer, the treatment, or the recovery,” he pointed out. “We just wanted this to be out in the open, as we wanted to explain to our fans why we have been quiet for such a long time.”
Lindberg, a pioneer in Swedish death metal, started as a vocalist for Grotesque, per Consequence of Sound. He then co-founded At the Gates in 1990. The band disbanded in 1995. However, they reformed in 2007.
Lindberg was also the frontman for several bands, including Hide, The Crown, Skitsystem, Disfear, and the supergroup Lock Up, which featured members of Napalm Death and ex-Dimmu Borgir drummer Nick Barker.