NEED TO KNOW
At the Gates vocalist Tomas Lindberg has died. He was 52.
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, the band announced he died on Tuesday, Sept. 16 via Instagram after “complications” related to cancer. Lindberg revealed that in 2023 he was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a cancer that affects the glands, per Cleveland Clinic.
Mariano Regidor/Redferns
Swedish news outlet SVT Nyheter was the first to report the news of his death.
“Tomas passed away this morning following complications related to his ongoing cancer treatment,” the post began. “Despite intensive medical efforts, his life could not be saved.”
It continued: ‘Tomas – You were an inspiration to us all. A true friend, both compassionate & sympathetic. You will always be remembered for your generosity and your creative spirit.”
“You will be eternally missed. Forever in our hearts,” the post concluded.
In August, the heavy metal band shared a Facebook statement, alongside a message from Lindberg written in March 2025 where he reflected on “the past 15 months and the reasons for the radio silence.”
“In early May, Tomas experienced a health setback,” the statement read. “Since then, he has been hospitalized and has been receiving dedicated care in a specialized ward where he is being closely monitored around the clock.”
It continued: “While this is a challenging time, we’re staying positive but, even in a best-case-scenario we know the recovery will take a long time. We kindly ask that you respect Tomas’ and his family’s privacy during this period.”
They added that Lindberg was “incredibly proud of the new At the Gates album we’ve been working on” and that updates on the release would be coming “very soon.”
In Lindberg’s own statement from March, he revealed that he was “diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (a cancer in the mouth and pallet) and have since then gone through a lot, it has been a very tough year.”
“First there was a major surgery, where they took away a big part of the roof of the mouth. This was followed by radiation therapy for two months and eversince it has been a long hard path towards recovery,” he continued.
Lindberg revealed that in the beginning of 2025, “some remains of the cancer” where found that are “inaccessible by surgery or radiation.”
“So, we will see what the next step is, but probably some form of chemo therapy, to keep the cancer in check,” he wrote, noting that “luckily” the band had “recorded vocals” for the new album’s demos before everything happened.
He added, “We have now decided to not wait any longer to release this new album. We had first planned to wait with the release until we knew if/when I would be able to sing again, and we were able to support the release with shows.”
Lindberg added that the band didn’t want “to make a big thing” about his diagnosis.
“I won’t be answering interviews concerning the cancer, the treatment or the recovery,” he said. “We just wanted this to be out in the open, as we wanted to explain to our fans why we have been quiet for such a long time.”
Lindberg was a pioneering artist in the Swedish death metal scene, who began his career as a vocalist in the band Grotesque. Later, he helped co-found At the Gates in 1990, which broke up in 1995 but reformed in 2007.
Mick Hutson/Redferns
Throughout his career, Lindberg was involved in several musical projects, as the frontman of Hide, The Crown, Skitsystem, Disfear and the supergroup Lock Up, alongside Napalm Death members Shane Embury, Jesse Pintado and former Dimmu Borgir drummer Nick Barker.
