“We miss you incredibly”: At The Gates urge fans to donate to Swedish cancer charity following death of frontman Tomas Lindberg

At The Gates have encouraged fans to donate to a cancer support fundraiser set up following the death of lead singer Tomas Lindberg.

Lindberg died in September at the age of 52, after being diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare cancer of the mouth and pallet, in December 2023.

The singer kept his condition hidden from fans until August, when At The Gates issued a statement saying that he was receiving hospital care and “being closely monitored around the clock”.

On Thursday, October 16 – which would have been Lindberg’s 53rd birthday – the Gothenburg death metal band posted a link on social media directing fans to a fundraiser set up by Cancerfonden, the Swedish Cancer Society. The fundraiser has a goal of SEK 250,000 (£19,669) and donations will “support the fight against cancer”, according to the page.

At The Gates write: “Today it would have been Tomas’ 53rd birthday. We miss you incredibly ❤️❤️

“For those of you who would like to send greetings or contribute to a good cause, please consider sending a donation to the official national swedish cancer fund setup in Tomas’ memory. Just follow the link below.”

You can visit the Cancerfonden fundraiser and make a donation via the charity’s official website.

Lindberg co-founded At The Gates in 1990. With their 1994 EP Terminal Spirit Disease and 1995 album Slaughter Of The Soul, the band became vanguards of melodic death metal and the ‘Gothenburg sound’, alongside the likes of In Flames and Dark Tranquillity. Lindberg was known for his distinct, agonised-sounding vocals as well as his unique lyrics, which focussed on politics and spiritual suffering.

At The Gates split in 1996 but reunited in 2007. During the band’s downtime, Lindberg dedicated himself to a number of other musical projects and supergroups; he also started a career as a social studies teacher. He made another three albums with At The Gates after their return and tracked vocals for a fourth the day before he underwent mouth surgery as part of his cancer treatment.

Following Lindberg’s death, At The Gates issued a statement calling him “an inspiration to us all [and a] true friend, both compassionate & sympathetic”. Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt called him a “fantastic frontman and singer”, and Trivium’s Matt Heafy said he was “one of the most important singers/screamers of any metal band”.