found the Polar Music Prize from money he made when he sold the multimillion-dollar record company Polar Records. In this deal nearly all utilisation and license rights, and the registered ABBA trademark, were sold for an unknown sum of money to PolyGram shortly before the ABBA members took him to court over royalty back payments. Previously, Anderson had licensed ABBA and the members' solo releases to labels internationally as a means to increase royalties. In 1998, PolyGram was in turn sold to Seagram and merged into what is now one of the Big Three record labels, the Universal Music Group, the company that holds the rights to the entire ABBA back catalogue. Personal life and death Stig Anderson was married to Gudrun Anderson (née Rystedt, 1931–2010), and had two sons, Anders and Lasse, and a daughter Marie. His daughter, Marie Ledin (born in 1957, wife of Swedish star and ABBA concert backing vocalist Tomas Ledin) was also involved in the music industry. In the mid-1980s she started a new, highly successful record label called Record Station (sold to German BMG in the early 1990s), followed by Anderson Records. Anderson Records released Anni-Frid Lyngstad's Swedish comeback album Djupa andetag in 1996, as well as Michael B. Tretow's Greatest Hits in 1999. On 12 September 1997, at the age of 66, Stig Anderson died of a heart attack. His funeral was broadcast live by Sveriges Television. References Sources Carl Magnus Palm: Bright Lights — Dark Shadows, Omnibus Press UK 2001, 1931 births 1997 deaths People from Gullspång Municipality ABBA Swedish composers Swedish male composers 20th-century Swedish businesspeople Eurovision Song Contest winners 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century composers Swedish songwriters Swedish record producers Swedish music managers Burials at Galärvarvskyrkogården 20th-century Swedish male musicians