Alexi Laiho, the award-winning guitarist and lead singer of the Finnish metal outfit Children of Bodom, died last week at his home in Helsinki, Finland, according to a statement from his management team. He was 41.
A cause of death was not given. The statement said Laiho had “suffered from long-term health issues during his last years”.
Laiho’s surviving bandmates in Bodom After Midnight – a group he co-founded with Daniel Freyberg, Mitja Toivonen and Waltteri Väyrynen after Children of Bodom disbanded in 2019 – said: ‘We are devastated by the sudden passing of our dear friend a band member. Words cannot describe this shock and the deep sadness we feel. ”
Laiho was born in 1979 in Espoo, Finland and grew up in a very musical household and tells Metal hammer in a 2008 interview that his father played piano and organ while his mother played flute and sang in a choir. Laiho’s first instrument was the violin, but he eventually moved to the guitar and he attributed his sister to the fact that he introduced himself to heavy metal.
“When I was seven years old, she played her Guns N ‘Roses, Twisted Sister, Mötley Crüe and Skid Row bands for her,” he said. Metal hammer. ‘Everything about it was so fucking attractive: how they play, the sound of the guitar, the way the guys look. They were dangerous. I was so fucking drawn into it. And I still am. ”
In 1993, Laiho and drummer Jaska Raatikainen formed the group Inearthed, which recorded for several years with demos rooted in death metal and heavy metal, but did not rush away for melodic touches and recorded pianos and synthesizers. Inertity, however, struggled to make real progress, but in 1997 they enlisted jazz pianist Janne Wirman, who helped them strengthen their sound when they began recording their first album. Something Wilds. The LP was finally released the same year via the Finnish label Spinefarm Records under the new name of the group, Children of Bodom.
Children of Bodom’s profile grew in the ensuing years as they released a steady stream of albums and toured Europe. Teen 2003’s Hate Crew Deathroll, they also established a dedicated following in the United States, and in 2008 they released probably their most successful album, Blood drunk. In a show of their versatility, Children of Bodom follows this up with an MP, Skeletons in the closet, which features renditions of songs by Slayer, Scorpions, and the Ramones, as well as Britney Spears, Kenny Rogers, and Pat Benatar.
Children of Bodom would release four more studio albums, which would end their run in 2019 Hexed and play their last show together in December of the same year. Along with performing Children of Bodom, Laiho played in the bands Sinergy, Warmen, Kylähullut and the Local Band. Before his death, Laiho and Bodom After Three Midnight recorded three songs and shot one music video that will be released posthumously.