Alexi Laiho, guitarist and frontman for the heavy metal group, Children Of Bodom, has died. Rolling Stone reported that the Finnish guitarist “had suffered from long-term issues during his last years.” He was 41 and died at his home in Helsinki, Finland.
Although He was best-known for his work with Children Of Bodom, Laiho also formed the group Bodom After Midnight with Daniel Freyberg, Mitja Toivonen, and Waltteri Väyrynen in 2019, according to Rolling Stone. The surviving bandmates left a statement via their label, Napalm Records’ Twitter account. “It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we have to announce the passing of Alexi Laiho,” they wrote, “We are absolutely devastated and heartbroken for the sudden loss of our dear friend and band member.”
Children Of Bodom is one of Finland’s most popular metal bands, and they had sold more than 250,000 albums in the country, as reported by CNN. Members of the band, including Henkka Seppälä, Janne Wirman, and Jaska Raatikainen, left a statement on the group’s official Facebook page. “More than 25 years of friendship. We lost a brother,” they wrote, “The world lost a phenomenal song writer and one of the greatest guitarists of all time.” Read on to see how members of the music community reacted to Laiho’s passing.
Alexi Laiho is remembered for his talent
The impact of Alexi Laiho’s untimely death was felt in the rock community, and many musicians left their condolences online. Former Megadeth member, Marty Friedman, took the news hard. “Absolutely gutted about Alexi Laiho’s untimely passing. He had a lot more to [sic] left to say with his music,” Friedman wrote on Twitter. Lamb Of God guitarist, Mark Morton, described Laiho as a “monumental talent” in his tweet about the deceased musician.
The late guitarist’s wife, Kelli Wright-Laiho, also released a statement. “Alexi was the most loving and magnificent husband and father,” she wrote, per People. “Our hearts are eternally broken.”
Children of Bodom was created by Laiho and Jaska Raatikainen in 1993 and was originally called Inearthed, Rolling Stone reported. The band released 10 studio albums and two EPs and played their final show in 2019 in Helsinki, Finland. In a 2016 interview with Guitar World, Laiho discussed the magic of writing music. “Music is about creating something that doesn’t exist,” Laiho told the publication. “It’s also a bit like playing the lottery – you never know what’s going to happen.” The Finnish guitarist told Guitar World in a separate interview from 2019 that he had quit drinking alcohol while on tour as he wanted to be “100 percent committed” to his craft. Clearly, the music community lost a treasured talent.
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