Erik Markus Sandlund (26 April 1975,

Norrfjärden Norrfjärden is a locality situated in Piteå Municipality Piteå Municipality (; ) is a municipality in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Piteå. Localities There are 14 localities (or urban areas) in Piteå Mun ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

; – 26 December 2004,

Khao Lak Khao Lak ( th, เขาหลัก, ) is a series of villages, now tourist-oriented, mainly in the Takua Pa District and partly in the Thai Mueang District of Phang Nga Province, Thailand. The name "Khao Lak" literally translated means 'Mai ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

) was a Swedish

cellist The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...

Early life and career

Sandlund began playing cello when he was six years old and he studied at the

Royal College of Music, Stockholm The Royal College of Music, Stockholm ( sv, Kungliga Musikhögskolan i Stockholm) is the oldest institution of higher education in music in Sweden, founded in 1771 as the conservatory of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. The institution was mad ...

. He played in several orchestras in Sweden and also played on many studio recordings. He also played with

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

on a tour of Sweden. Sandlund appears on Nicolai Dunger's ''Soul Rush'' (2001), Sofia Pettersson's ''That's Amore'' (2004) and Bo Sundström's ''Den Lyckliges Vag'' (2007). Most notably, he played with the Stockholm Strings n' Horns on

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

's 2004 album ''

Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses ...

'', a newly recorded and completed version of

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

' aborted album of the same title from 1967. He was part of the ''Brian Wilson Presents Smile'' touring band, who toured

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

in 2004.

Disappearance

After the ''Smile'' tour was finished in December 2004, Sandlund traveled to

in Thailand to celebrate Christmas with his girlfriend. The couple were in the pool at the Orchid Beach Resort when the

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...

hit, sweeping both of them away; while she was later rescued, Sandlund remained missing. Upon hearing of Sandlund's disappearance, Wilson stated that he was "devastated" by the news, adding, "We have sent an agent to see what we can find out, but as of today (Jan. 4) we have been unable to locate Markus in the area. ... My prayers go out to all of the victims and their families, and I would ask you to say a prayer for Markus' safe return."

Death

Sandlund's body was found in late May 2005. According to his girlfriend, Sofia Pettersson, Sandlund was buried on June 16 in his hometown of Norrfjärden.

Legacy

On January 15, 2005, Wilson and his band had appeared on the '' Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope'' telethon and performed Wilson's "

Love and Mercy "Love and Mercy" is a song by American musician Brian Wilson and the opening track from his 1988 album '' Brian Wilson''. Co-produced by Russ Titelman, the song was released as a single on July 1, 1988, but failed to chart. Psychologist Eugene ...

" in honor of Sandlund, who was still missing at that time. The 2005 home video release of ''Brian Wilson Presents Smile'' was dedicated to Sandlund's memory.

References

External links

Wilson's Cellist Missing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandlund, Markus 1975 births 2004 deaths Deaths by drowning Swedish cellists Victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami Natural disaster deaths in Thailand Royal College of Music, Stockholm alumni People from Piteå Municipality 20th-century cellists