{"id":722683,"date":"2026-08-01T11:50:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T11:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/722683\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T11:50:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T11:50:12","slug":"a-ha-icon-terry-slater-dies-aged-85-the-most-important-person-in-our-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/722683\/","title":{"rendered":"A-ha icon Terry Slater dies aged 85: ‘The most important person in our career’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"Magne
\n\t\tTerry Slater (centre left) has died aged 85 (Picture: Ilpo Musto\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n

A-ha\u2019s first manager, Terry Slater, who was pivotal in launching the band\u2019s high-profile career, has died aged 85.<\/p>\n

The Norwegian band, founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, Magne Furuholmen, and Morten Harket <\/a>in 1982, had mega success with their 1985 hit Take On Me.<\/p>\n

Slater, at one time a board member of the record label EMI, took on the then-unknown trio in 1983. They would go on to become pop superstars under his management for 12 years after signing with Warner Brothers Records.<\/p>\n

On July 29, in a heartfelt tribute<\/a> to the man who \u2018took a chance on three scruffy, hopeful Norwegians living in London squalor with a burning ambition and some degree of talent,\u2019 Furuholmen posted an emotional statement.<\/p>\n

He credited the late music mogul, who also helped launch Queen,\u00a0Sex Pistols,\u00a0Kate Bush\u00a0and\u00a0Duran Duran\u00a0to superstardom, with pioneering the first Norwegian artists to find global success with major hits topping charts around the world.<\/p>\n

\u2018[We can] eventually now look back on a more than 40-year international career in music as Norway\u2019s still biggest ever international act,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Terry
\n\t\tHe\u2019s remained a pivotal part of the band for decades (Picture: A-ha: The Movie)<\/p>\n

\u2018Terry is the singularly most important person in A-ha\u2019s music career,\u2019 Furuholmen declared, later calling him a \u2018kind of father figure and good friend\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018He is without a doubt the person with the greatest impact on our professional lives and, I dare say, the lives of all our families,\u2019 the music artist praised.<\/p>\n

In the 1960s, Slater started his musical career as a songwriter and bass player with the Everly Brothers, Isaac Donald \u2018Don\u2019 Everly and Phillip \u2018Phil\u2019 Everly.<\/p>\n

As Furuholmen concluded: \u2018Thank you, dear Terry \u2013 for everything. I hope you are inimitably chuckling away in some other dimension \u2013 playing bass and goofing off with your friends Phil and Don and all the other music greats who are no longer gracing us with their talent \u2013 most of whom you knew and who knew and appreciated you.\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Paul
\n\t\tThe band are still active and listened to by millions of fans today (Picture: Action Press\/REX\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n

In the late 90s, A-ha joined new management, but Slater remained a crucial part of their band, often spoken of as the fourth member.<\/p>\n

The band \u2013 also behind hits such as The Sun Always Shines on T.V. and Hunting High and Low \u2013 conducted a farewell tour in 2010 before breaking up, and performed an acoustic version of\u00a0the song her co-wrote for the Everly Brothers, Bowling Green, in his honour. <\/p>\n

The trio later reunited in 2015 and have released new music and performed live together again in the years since.<\/p>\n

Slater also made a cameo in 2021\u2019s A-ha: The Movie, where he visits the band backstage.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, the Ed Sullivan Show\u2019s Facebook page also posted: \u2018We are deeply saddened by the passing of Terry Slater. From performing and writing alongside The Everly Brothers to his influential years as an executive at EMI and manager for a-ha, Terry left an unforgettable mark on the music industry.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Phil,
\n\t\tSlater started his career touring with the Everly Brothers (Picture: AP)<\/p>\n

\u2018His legacy lives on through the timeless songs and artists he championed. Rest in peace, Terry. Thank you for the music.\u2019<\/p>\n

The Everly Brothers\u2019 page, managed by their estate, also shared their condolences.<\/p>\n

\u2018Terry was many things to the Everly Brothers \u2013 a bass player, a writing partner and a lifelong friend. <\/p>\n

\u2018He is credited for writing numerous Everly Brothers\u2019 songs including Bowling Green, Lord of the Manor and Up in Mabel\u2019s Room. <\/p>\n

\u2018In the mid 60s, the three became so close that Ike and Margaret Everly referred to Terry as their third son. We send our condolences to Terry\u2019s family,\u2019 the statement read.<\/p>\n

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