Legendary musician, composer, arranger, producer Buddy McCluskey, who was responsible for Swedish superstar's ABBA's international expansion when he and his wife translated their songs to Spanish, died on May 12, 2026, at the age of 91. His brother Donald McCluskey confirmed the news in a post on his Facebook page but didn't reveal a cause of death. Buddy's son Roy McCluskey, also paid tribute to his father on YouTube, reminding people he was one of the key figures responsible for bringing international artists to the Latin American market through Spanish-language adaptations. Alongside ABBA he and his wife Mary helped artists such as Johnny Mathis, Roberto Carlos, Barry Manilow, Village People, Blondie and Jermaine Jackson connect with Spanish-speaking audiences. Roy concluded his heartfelt tribute with the words: "Thank you for everything, and thank you for the music."

As well as translating ABBA's songs into Spanish the Aregentinian star also traveled to Stockholm, where alongside Ana María Martínez, he personally coached the group's singers Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog in how to sing the language of Cervantes phonetically.

The songs were recorded in a neutral form of Spanish. When the Spanish-language singles Chiquitita and I Have a Dream, were a huge success ABBA went on to record an entire album in Spanish, Gracias por la Música. They also later released four additional Spanish adaptations from Super Trouper and The Visitors.

In 2008 in a chat for the ABBA Fan Club magazine he told Oscar Alejo Smirnov how the collaboration had come about. He revealed he had bumped into the band's manager Stig Anderson by chance at a convention in Miami.

"Stig asked me, 'Why do ABBA not sell in Latin America?' I answered, 'The point is that they have not recorded in Spanish.' Stig replied, 'Well, we are Swedish people and have never recorded in Swedish - we just record in English.'

We explained to him that Sweden had a population of eight million people while in the Spanish-speaking countries there were 200 million." That was enough to sell Stig who asked them to work on the band's Spanish lyrics.

Tributes flooded in for the star as the news became public. One fan commented on an Instagram post about his death: "He did an excellent job convincing the ABBA manager to record in Spanish. And then, the version in our language, of those songs. That without being a literal translation, they kept the essence of their songs. Thanks Buddy." Another added: "The hidden genius. Very sad. Muchos gracias Buddy."

A third chimed in: "Not another one. This year has been so sad. I bought Gracias Por LA Musica the day it appeared in HMV. But it's strange as it was logged on the back as Sentima. Not Epic. I also bought Super Troupes and The Visitors with Spanish songs from a woman in Sweden. The day they both were released she sent them straight to me. I've always loved the cover of Gracias Por La Music. It's so happy."

A fourth shared: "I always admired him and would have always wanted to thank him for his great work especially with ABBA. R.I.P. His work made him eternal."

Meanwhile a fifth penned: "Very sad at the news of his departure. He left an incredible legacy with his work. ABBA Spanish-speaking fans will be immensely grateful for convincing Stig, Benny and Björn to record Chiquitita and afterwards the entire album of "Gracias por la Música" in Spanish."