Just four days after speaking to a crowd at a Santa Ana state and local office candidate Nov. 8 election forum, Axel Mattias Ernby, the husband of Orange County Republican leader Kelly Ernby—who died at age 46 in January of COVID complications—was found dead around 7 p.m. Nov. 6 according to a spokesperson for the Orange County Coroner’s office.
The cause of death has not been released.
The coroner’s office couldn’t confirm the location of Ernby’s death, but according to the Seal Beach-based “OC Blues – Chelsea in America” soccer fan club, of which he was a member, he was found dead at his home in Huntington Beach.
The club posted the news of Ernby’s death Nov. 8 on Facebook.
Club members honored Ernby with a toast during intermission for Chelsea F.C. games televised at O’Malley’s on Main, a local bar that serves as the fan club’s Seal Beach location.
“For both matches this week, we will pause for a moment at halftime and toast a good man, friend and Chelsea supporter,” the club wrote.
One member of the club, John Costello, told The Epoch Times that Ernby was “more reserved” after his wife’s passing. He said he talked with Ernby during several games at O’Malley’s.
“[He was] just nice, which is the greatest compliment,” Costello said. “Will be very much missed by myself and his Chelsea F.C. family.”
After graduating from Stockholm University in 1999, Axel worked as a business development executive for a software company from 2000 to 2006. He went on to work as a senior manager for a car manufacturing company from 2006 until 2015, and was hired as a development director for Sweden-based Volvo Trucks from 2015 to 2017, before becoming a consultant, according to his LinkedIn page. His age was unable to be verified, but he was believed to be around 51 years old.
After his wife’s death, support poured in from many local politicians and organizations, as Kelly, who had served as an Orange County District Attorney, was well-known in the community. She ran for Assembly District 74 in 2020 and lost in the nonpartisan primary before becoming a leader in the Republican Party of Orange County.
Axel spoke Nov. 2 at the candidate forum, sponsored by BASTA—a group formed in 2021 to encourage voter participation among minorities, especially Hispanics—which was advertised as a “Kelly Ernby Inspired” event.
“For whatever you are doing to honor my wife’s memory, I greatly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart,” he told audience members.
He also told The Epoch Times at the event that he had received much support from Orange County Republicans after his wife’s death.
“In times of grief there has been overwhelming support from the party,” he said. “Which tells you something about the impact my wife had. She was only in politics for three years.”
He is survived by his sister Carin Ernby, of Gothenburg, Sweden, according to her Facebook page.
