ENTOMBED A.D. Singer LARS-GÖRAN PETROV Dead At 49

Former ENTOMBED and current ENTOMBED A.D. singer Lars-Göran Petrov passed away on Sunday, March 7 after a battle with bile duct cancer. He was 49 years old.

In a statement, his ENTOMBED A.D. bandmates wrote: "We are devastated to announce that our beloved friend Lars-Göran Petrov has left us. Our brother, leader, vocalist, our Chief Rebel Angel went on another ride last night. It's with the deepest sadness that we have to announce that Lars-Göran Petrov has left us. He was (is!!!) an incredible friend, and a person that has touched so many people. He has changed so many lives with his voice, his music, his character and his unique personality.

"LG's smile is something that we will carry forever in our hearts. When asked in an interview what he would like to have written on his grave and what about his legacy, he said: 'I will never die, it will never die'. And you didn't. You will live forever in our hearts."

Last August, Petrov told Metal Hammer about how he found out about his cancer: "A couple of months ago. I felt a lump in my solar plexus. And I was, like, 'Okay, I'll ignore it.' But then it started to hurt, so I went to the doctor, and they X-rayed it quickly and said, 'You have to go to the specialist.' That was weird. You can't imagine what it feels like. Your whole body goes warm. It's, like, 'Fucking hell.'"

Although Petrov revealed his cancer was "incurable," he said that the doctors were "hoping" they will be able to treat it. "I will find out when I meet my doctor, who is the best doctor when it comes to this particular cancer," he explained. "Being young, the doctor said there's hopefully a way to control it so it doesn't spread, or maybe even make it smaller."

AMON AMARTH vocalist Johan Hegg offered his condolences via Twitter, writing: "The word legend is to small to describe LG and what he meant for me as a friend and inspiration. Not only was he one of the best and original voices in metal, but the most kind, humble, funny and genuine person one could ever hope to meet. I will miss you my friend! R.I.P.".

HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta said: "Rest In Peace LG Petrov. What a legend & and a powerful voice. Inspiration to countless bands & singers. A true game changer. One of the first bands to take us on tour for which I am still grateful for. Someone you always looked forward to seeing. You will be sorely missed."

ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott said: "Just heard the awful news. This really sucks...

"Rest in Power LG! We had a lot of great times together, especially in the late 80 underground scene when we didn’t have record deals etc (simpler times). First time I stayed with you in your mums apartment I couldn't believe that you had a huge drum kit in your bedroom, and banged out KING DIAMOND songs in the middle of the night! You were a great drummer, maybe people didn't know that about you so much?

"We had a wicked time in London, U.K. when I played in ENTOMBED for a hot minute! We had even more fun in the early 90s when we did a few tours together with ENTOMBED and CARCASS, luckily there were no smart phones to capture all the nonsense that we got up to! I also remember the summer 2000, we shared a tour bus in Europe and opened for IRON MAIDEN - Fuck yeah, Metal dreams do come true!

"Was always cool to catch up at festivals in later years, like in this pic... Also reconnecting online recently and sharing pics and memories was fun and emotional.

"You fought hard my friend. You did your best. Thanks for the good memories, the laughs, the music! Cheers buddy, wish you a safe onward journey. See ya on the left hand path..."

ORANGE GOBLIN said: "We are all very saddened to hear of the tragic passing of LG Petrov of ENTOMBED / ENTOMBED AD. We had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with LG quite a few times over the years and he was always funny, caring and a great person to be around. His music and his legacy will live on forever and our thoughts go out to his bandmates, his family and friends at this terrible time. R.I.P LG, the Chief Rebel Angel."

ENTOMBED A.D. was formed in 2014 when Petrov and other members of ENTOMBED decided to change the band's name in order to avoid a legal battle with ENTOMBED guitarist Alex Hellid who didn't want his former bandmates to use the ENTOMBED moniker.

ENTOMBED A.D.'s latest album, "Bowels Of Earth", was released in August 2019 via Century Media.