Musician Hawkey Franzén has passed away. He was a Swedish songwriter and artist who collaborated with others, including Björn J:son Lindh and Jojje Wadenius.
He was born in Böda on Öland in 1946 and formed the band Red River Band in 1961. The band changed its name to Lea Riders Group in 1962, playing blues and becoming popular among students.
In 1968, he composed the film music for Stefan Jarl's "Dom kallar oss mods" and also appeared in the Swedish production of "Hair" at Scalateatern, alongside others including Bruno Wintzell and Bill Öhström.
In 1969, he was sentenced to a month in prison for conscientious objection, a sentence he served at Djupviksanstalten, where he met Björn J:son Lindh and they wrote the songs for Franzén's first solo album: "Visa från Djupvik". They later joined the Swedish "supergroup" Jason's Fleece with others, including Jojje Wadenius and Janne "Loffe" Carlsson.
He released jazz albums, songs, children's albums, and appeared as an actor in productions by Riksteatern. Hawkey Franzén was 78 years old.
