Norway mourns author Ari Behn
Former spouse of Princess Märtha Louise dies at 47
Photo: Frankie Fouganthin / Wikimedia Commons
Norwegian atuhor Ari Behn was married to Princess Märtha Louise of Norway from 2002 to 2017.
The couple is pictured at the wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden in Stockholm, 2013.
The Local
Norwegian author Ari Behn, who was previously married to the country’s Princess Märtha Louise, died on Christmas Day, aged 47, his manager told Agence France-Presse (AFP), saying he had committed suicide.
“It is with great sadness in our hearts that I, on behalf of the very closest relatives of Ari Behn, must announce that he took his own life,” Behn’s manager Geir Hakonsund said in an email to AFP.
Behn published his first book in 1999, a collection of short stories, translated into English under the title Sad as Hell.
He rose to public prominence in 2002 after marrying the Norwegian royal Märtha Louise, and they wrote a book about their wedding with the title From Heart to Heart.
The couple had three daughters together before announcing their divorce in August 2016.
Friends and public figures expressed their condolences, including Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg and the royal family.
“Ari was an important part of our family for many years, and we carry warm and good memories of him with us,” the Royal House of Norway said in a statement.
Behn also wrote several novels and plays, and in 2018 published his last book, Inferno, in which he detailed his struggle with mental health issues.
There has been a huge public outpouring of sympathy for Behn’s surviving family members and friends. Funeral services were held for him on Jan. 3 in Oslo Cathedral, conducted by Bishop Kari Veiteberg.
This article was originally published on The Local.
This article originally appeared in the January 10, 2020, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.
