Åke Berglund, Europe’s first web editor, is dead

Europe’s first web editor is dead.

Of course he worked at Aftonbladet and of course his name was Åke Berglund.

Still, he was never a computer geek – he had mushrooms on his brain.

He became historic.

23 years ago, in 1994, Åke Berglund became Aftonbladet’s – and Europe’s – first online news editor.

– I didn’t understand how big it was until much later, he said afterwards.

When aftonbladet.se started, not many people even knew what the internet was.

Aftonbladet was, as many times before, first into the future.

With Åke Berglund at the wheel. Or perhaps you should say the keyboard.

Born in Ljusdal

He had worked at Aftonbladet since 1970, as a reporter on the paper – that was all there was in the beginning.

But when Aftonbladet took over the web, it was Åke Berglund who was entrusted to become news editor.

From the beginning he ran the site Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 17:00 – a year later he was joined by Ulf Karlson and he and Åke worked in shifts to publish news every day on Aftonbladet online.

It feels like a very long time ago – in the almost 30 years, a lot has happened, if you say so.

Åke Berglund was, just like most marbles at the time, unique.

He was born in Ljusdal, but his mother died early of tuberculosis and only three years old he had to move to his grandmother and grandfather and aunt and uncle in Vålbacken in Jämtland.

Be a “dolldis”

Already at a young age, he showed that he had the gift of words – he was good at formulating himself.

What started with submissions in the local newspaper, LT of course – where I have also worked – led to extra crack at the same newspaper.

A new singer performed in Sveg – and Åke Berglund had to cover the event.

Her name was Barbro “Lill-Babs” Svensson.

Eventually he came as a journalist to Aftonbladet, via Året Runt and Sundsvall’s newspaper.

Here he started as an entertainment reporter and during the ten years he managed to interview basically all the celebrities who were on stage at the time.

Åke Berglund himself was more of a “hidden figure” than a celebrity.

He was a toiler, one who works in silence.

But with aftonbladet.se, he took the first steps into the future as a pioneer.

Knew all about mushrooms

Privately, he loved both eating and cooking gourmet food and he knew most about good cheeses.

Not to mention mushrooms – Åke Berglund was Aftonbladet’s own mushroom expert at the time. A title I myself have had to take over.

His collection of dried mushrooms – which, incidentally, he had shared custody of with his ex-wife – may have been the largest in Sweden.

Unless mine is bigger.

After a moped accident in 2017, Åke Berglund unfortunately never got back to his old good, resilient form.

He spent the last time in a service home.

He lived to be 82 years old.