Alexi Laiho (Finnish: [ˈɑleksi ˈlɑi̯ho]; born Markku Uula Aleksi Laiho; April 8, 1979 – December 29, 2020) was a Finnish guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He was the lead guitarist, lead vocalist and founding member of the melodic death metal band Children of Bodom, and a guitarist for Sinergy, the Local Band, Kylähullut, and Bodom After Midnight, which formed just prior to his death. Laiho had previously played with Thy Serpent and Impaled Nazarene on occasion, as well as Warmen and Hypocrisy.
Bands
- Children of Bodom - former member
Credited On
- Children of Bodom - Chaos Ridden Years Stockholm Knockout Live - Children of Bodom, released October 24, 2006 (
TSU-004). Guitars, Lyrics By, Music By, Vocals. Credited as “Wildchild”.
Biography
From the en.wikipedia article Alexi Laiho (CC BY-SA 4.0), revision 1373517217.
Career
Laiho started playing violin at the age of seven and guitar at the age of eleven. His main guitar influence was Helloween. He then became interested in more extreme music, mainly black metal. His first guitar was a Tokai Stratocaster. In 1993, after taking part in an experimental band named T.O.L.K. with friends he met while attending the Finnish Pop & Jazz Conservatory, Laiho formed Children of Bodom together with drummer Jaska Raatikainen, under the name of IneartheD. On October 31, 1997, prior to releasing their debut album, Children of Bodom played their first concert in Helsinki, as the opening act for Norway's Dimmu Borgir. Silenoz, Dimmu Borgir guitarist, on Laiho's first performance: "We could hear the opening band playing from backstage. We were like, ‘Holy shit, what is this?' It sounded like Yngwie Malmsteen on speed. We ran out and watched the spectacle and stood there with our jaws open". "There was this fucking beast on the guitar," added Dimmu's then-keyboardist Kimberly Goss, who formed power metal band Sinergy with Alexi in 1997, and married him in 2002. "I was looking at our guitar player like, ‘I don't know, man, you've got some competition..." Laiho recorded three full-length albums with Sinergy. An unreleased fourth album was recorded and slated to be released in 2005, but the finishing touches were never completed due to Laiho's demanding schedule with Children of Bodom. In 2004, Laiho founded a side-project called Kylähullut, which was assembled together with drummer Tonmi Lillman (ex-Sinergy) and singer Vesa Jokinen 69er of Finnish punk band Klamydia. Their discography includes two EP's, and two full-length albums one of which features Laiho's wife, Goss, singing in Finnish. Children of Bodom played at the 2008 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. There, Laiho also received the Dimebag Award for "Best Shredder" and performed a track off of Bodom's 2008's album, Blooddrunk. Laiho appears on Canadian thrash metal outfit Annihilator's 2007 album, Metal, as a guest, playing a guitar solo on the song "Downright Dominate". On July 3, 2012, Children of Bodom announced on their Facebook page that they had to cancel two European shows because Laiho had been taken to the hospital because of severe stomach pain. The frontman was hospitalized once again the following year in Nashville, leading to speculation about his dangerous relationship with alcohol, which he'd later discuss in multiple interviews. On December 15, 2019, Children of Bodom played their last show at the Icehall in Helsinki, dubbed "A Chapter Called Children of Bodom"; in November it was announced that after this show, the group would disband after over two decades together. For legal reasons, Laiho would no longer be able to continue using the Children of Bodom name. In March 2020, Laiho announced his new band together with former Children of Bodom guitarist Daniel Freyberg, Bodom After Midnight featuring drummer Waltteri Väyrynen and bassist Mitja Toivonen. Laiho died on December 29, 2020 due to liver degeneration resulting from years of alcohol abuse, leaving behind a few songs recorded with Bodom After Midnight to be published posthumously. Several months later, Daniel Freyberg told Loudwire that Bodom After Midnight would disband rather than replacing Laiho. Regarding his death, in a 2023 interview, former Children of Bodom keyboardist Janne Wirman reflected back to what Alexi Laiho had told him in 2016 after his health issues came to light, that he had no plans to stop drinking but instead plans to drink himself to death.
Musical Style and Influences
Laiho's main influences were classic metal bands like Manowar, Helloween, Judas Priest and W.A.S.P. Along with the classic metal bands, Laiho has cited guitarists such as Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen as other influences on his early guitar playing style.
Personal Life and Death
On February 1, 2002, at a private ceremony in Finland, Laiho married long time girlfriend and Sinergy frontwoman Kimberly Goss. They shared identical tattoos of a coiled snake around their ring fingers and had each other's initials tattooed on the upper part of their left arms. According to official documents, Laiho filed for divorce in November 2002, but withdrew his application, never to file it again. The couple separated in 2004, but were on good terms and had regular text and video contact until the day he died, as confirmed by the Finnish press. Drama and infighting between Laiho's sister and widow resulted in a public back and forth exchange, with both parties airing their grievances to the Finnish media. For several years after his separation from Goss, Laiho was then linked with Kristen Mulderig, manager of Slayer until mid-2015 and then with Kelli Wright, an Australian public relations manager. During his final years Laiho maintained a private relationship with a non-public figure from Southern Europe, fiercely protecting her from the spotlight until his death. Laiho had a history of alcohol abuse, which was the cause of his death. In an interview in 2019 he talked about how the pressures of life on the road affected him; he mentioned the song "This Road" from 2019's Hexed and said, "A lot of people thought it was about alcoholism, but it's more about being addicted to being on the road. Sometimes it feels like after 20 years of being on the road, everything just becomes kind of a blur and you don't know what the hell's going on." He claimed he used to drink heavily but cut back in 2013, not drinking while on tour anymore, and mentioned that Hexed's first single, "Under Grass and Clover", documented the pain of withdrawal. In 2023, Children of Bodom keyboardist Janne Wirman revealed that Alexi Laiho never actually stopped drinking, and in 2016 had told him "I'm going to drink until I die." In 2024, Janne Wirman revealed that after Alexi's return from Australia, where he had spent time with his partner, Kelli Wright, his bandmates started noticing that Laiho's health was deteriorating. Wirman remarked that Laiho had lost a lot of weight and his attempts to play guitar ended up in failure, as he "couldn't play at all". In the same interview, Henkka Seppälä admitted that they had talked to Alexi at the end of the "Hexed" tour, however this only ended up in having an argument. The bassist also points out that their tour manager "had phone numbers to every city's morgue during their tour, in case they found Alexi dead in his bunk". On January 4, 2021, a post on his official Facebook page stated Laiho had died the previous week. No official cause of death was given, only stating he succumbed at his Helsinki home to "long-term health issues during his last years". The death date was later confirmed to be December 29, 2020. A private funeral service for Laiho was held on January 28, 2021. On March 5, 2021 Kimberly Goss revealed the official cause of Laiho's death on her Instagram: "alcohol-induced degeneration of the liver and pancreas connective tissue". Additionally, a mix of painkillers, opioids and insomnia medication was found in his system. The cause of death was originally published in Finnish as "maksan rasvarappeutuminen ja haiman sidekudostuminen", which translates into English as fatty liver disease and pancreatic fibrosis. Laiho's sister stated that the family wanted the details of his death to remain private, however Goss maintained that it was her right as his legal widow to disclose the information and bring closure to his fans, hoping the tragedy could inspire lives to be saved and "help others struggling with these same demons." Laiho's ashes were laid to rest on December 8, 2021, one day after a private memorial service was held by Goss.
Sources
- Wikidata entity Q270970.
- en.wikipedia, Alexi Laiho (revision 1373517217), CC BY-SA 4.0.
- ja.wikipedia, アレキシ・ライホ (revision 106566104), CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photograph: Alexi Laiho performing with Children of Bodom at the Rockharz Open Air 2016 -- July 9, 2016.jpg on Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, by S. Bollmann.
