Kenneth Sivertsen was a Norwegian musician, composer, poet, and comedian.
Background
Born in Mosterhamn, a small settlement on the Norwegian island of Bømlo, Sivertsen made a musical debut playing the bass guitar on a Christmas party at age 8. Years later he went on to form the group One Two Three together with his friends. After secondary school he went on to attend Voss Folk High School, where he expanded his musical sensibilities. Several of the guitar pieces he composed at this time went on to be released on his album Spør Vinden. In 1981 he composed his first symphony, Håp, which would go on to be performed by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. Throughout the 1980s Sivertsen would become nationally known through several TV appearances and radio broadcasts, as well as musical tours with Jan Eggum, among others. In 1984 he composed the symphony Timeglaset og Morgonstjerna. Sivertsen worked with a number of prominent Americanjazz musicians, including Michael Brecker, Mike Mainieri, Tony Levin, and Bob Mintzer. The albums Remembering North and One Day In October were both released in the United States, and were received to favorable international acclaim. From 1992 to 1997 he was in a both personal and artistic relationship with Norwegian singer and actress Herborg Kråkevik. Together they produced Cabaret, a successful stage show, as well as the albumMi Haugtussa.
Illness and death
On March 27, 2005, Sivertsen suffered severe head trauma after collapsing from an epilepsy attack during a visit in Haugesund, Norway. The damage from the fall caused a brain haemorrhage which forced doctors to remove parts of his skull for him to be able to survive the ordeal, and he spent nearly a week in a coma following surgery. Following several operations, he spent the next three months in various hospitals and recreation centers. In October 2006 he suffered yet another serious epilepsy attack, causing another near-fatal fall in his home. The fall left him incapacitated for the remainder of his life, spending his last two months in intensive care. Sivertsen died on Haukeland Universitetssykehus in Bergen on Christmas Eve 2006 from complications from epilepsy and the several brain haemorrhages suffered the previous two years. A series of tribute concerts for Sivertsen were held in the weeks prior, with the final concert scheduled for December 26, two days after his death. On January 16, 2011, a celebration of Sivertsen's life was held in his hometown of Mosterhamn, on what would have been his 50th birthday. In September 2011, it was also announced that the street where he lived in Bømlo would be renamed Kenneth Sivertsens veg in his honour.
