In an interview with gay magazine QX, Andreas Lundstedt, lead singer of Swedish pop group Alcazar, reveals that he has been living with HIV for a number of years.

Lundstedt, 35, tells the magazine that the rumors about his HIV status have been circulating for years, but that he now feels ready to talk about it. He thanks his friends and family for supporting him and says that without them he would never had the strength to come forward.

QX asked him if he has thought about coming out about his status before, and Lundstedt says: "Yes, at least I've played with the thought of coming forward, but I've been looking for the right time. I now feel that I'm at the right stage in my life; That it's time. For years, I have been performing at pride church events and supported World Aids Day and I've many times wanted to say 'I'm positive too'."

Lundstedt is the first Swedish celebrity to come out about his HIV status since Swedish fashion designer Sighsten Herrgård in 1987.

Alcazar's European breakthrough hit was "Crying at the Discotheque". They also achieved success here in the U.S. with "This is The World We Live In" and a more recent remake of Human League's "Don't You Want Me".

Last update: 12-19-2007 19:45