Markus Sandlund
Erik Markus Sandlund (26 April 1975, Norrfjärden, Sweden; – 26 December 2004, Khao Lak, Thailand) was a Swedish cellist.
Sandlund began playing cello when he was six years old and he studied at the Royal College of Music, Stockholm. He played in several orchestras in Sweden and also played on many studio recordings. He also played with Ray Charles on a tour of Sweden. Most notably, he played on Brian Wilson's "Smile" album which was the eventual release of The Beach Boys aborted album of the same title in 1967. He was part of the Brian Wilson Smile touring band. The band toured Australia and New Zealand. After the Smile tour was finished in December, he travelled to Khao Lak in Thailand. It is presumed that he drowned when the tsunami hit Khao Lak. Upon hearing of his disappearance, Brian Wilson stated that he was "devastated" by the news and he continued stating that:
| “ | "We have sent an agent to see what we can find out, but as of today we have been unable to locate Markus [...] My prayers go out to all of the victims and their families, and I would ask you to say a prayer for Markus' safe return." | ” |
His body was found late May 2005.