Alexi Laiho, the acclaimed guitarist and vocalist for the Finnish metal group Children of Bodom, died at his home in Helsinki, Finland, last week, according to a statement from his management team. He was 41 years old.
The cause of death was not provided. The statement said Laiho “suffered from long-term health problems during his later years”.
Laiho’s surviving bandmates at Bodom After Midnight – a group he formed with Daniel Freyberg, Mitja Toivonen and Waltteri Väyrynen after the separation of Children of Bodom in 2019 – said: “We are devastated by the sudden death of our dear friend and band member. Words cannot describe this shock and the deep sadness we feel. “
Laiho was born in Espoo, Finland, in 1979 and grew up in a very musical home, counting Metal Hammer in a 2008 interview, that his father played the piano and the organ, while his mother played the flute and sang in a choir. Laiho’s first instrument was the violin, but he ended up gravitating to the guitar, and he credits his sister for introducing him to heavy metal.
“When I was seven, she played her tapes of Guns N ‘Roses, Twisted Sister, Mötley Crüe and Skid Row,” he said Metal Hammer. “Everything about him was fucking attractive: how they played, the sound of the guitar, the appearance of the guys. They were dangerous. I was so fucking attracted to this. And I still am. “
In 1993, Laiho and drummer Jaska Raatikainen formed the band Inearthed, which spent several years recording demos rooted in death metal and heavy metal, but did not shy away from melodic touches and incorporated keyboards and synthesizers. However, Inearthed struggled to make any real progress, but in 1997 it hired jazz pianist Janne Wirman, who helped them solidify their sound when they started recording their first album, Something wild. The LP was released that same year by the Finnish label Spinefarm Records under the band’s new name, Children of Bodom.
Children of Bodom’s profile grew in the following years as they released a steady stream of albums and toured Europe. In 2003 Hate Crew Deathroll, they firmly established a devoted following in the United States as well, and in 2008 they released their most successful album, without a doubt. Drunk of blood. In a demonstration of its versatility, Children of Bodom followed with an LP of covers, Skeletons in the closet, which featured interpretations of songs by Slayer, Scorpions and Ramones, as well as Britney Spears, Kenny Rogers and Pat Benatar.
Children of Bodom would release four more studio albums, ending their season in 2019 with Hexado and doing their last show together in December of the same year. Along with Children of Bodom, Laiho played in the bands Sinergy, Warmen, Kylähullut and the Local Band. Before his death, Laiho and Bodom After Midnight recorded three songs and filmed a music video, which will be released posthumously.