Kenneth Gärdestad

Born

1948-05-09

Died

2018-03-03

Birthplace

Sollentuna, Stockholms län, Sweden

Biography

Kenneth Gärdestad was a Swedish lyricist, architect, and lecturer, best known for his collaborations with his brother Ted Gärdestad. He wrote almost all the lyrics for Ted's songs, including classics such as "Jag vill ha en egen måne" and "Sol, vind och vatten". In addition to his musical work, Kenneth Gärdestad was a trained architect and served as chief architect at Kunskapsskolan, where he designed the schools' facilities. After his brother's passing in 1997, he became an active advocate for mental health and founded the Ted Gärdestad Scholarship to support young songwriters and singers. In his later years, he received several awards for his contributions to Swedish music, including the Music Publishers' Honorary Award in 2016 and a Grammis Honorary Award in 2018. He passed away in March 2018 after a period of illness.