Alexi Laiho

Alexi Laiho (born Markku Uula Aleksi Laiho; 8 April 1979 – 29 December 2020) was a Finnish guitarist, composer, and vocalist. He was best known as the lead guitarist, lead vocalist and founding member of the melodic death metal band Children of Bodom, and was also the 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.
Career.
Laiho started playing violin at the age of seven and guitar at the age of 11. His first guitar was a "Tokai Stratocaster".
In 1993, Laiho formed Children of Bodom together with drummer Jaska Raatikainen, under the name of IneartheD.
On October 31, 1997, Children of Bodom played their first show in Helsinki, as opening act for 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”.
In 2004, Laiho founded a side-project called Kylähullut, which was assembled together with Tonmi Lillman (ex-Sinergy) and Vesa Jokinen 69er (from Klamydia). The band was created merely for the entertainment of the musicians, and takes a carefree approach to their music. The band's discography includes two EP's, and two full-length albums.
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, performing a guitar solo on the song "Downright Dominate".
On 3 July 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. 
On 15 December 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, all members of the band except Laiho and guitarist Daniel Freyberg had quit. Due to legal reasons, Laiho would need permission from his former band mates to continue using the Children of Bodom name. 
In March 2020, Laiho and Freyberg officially announced their new band, Bodom After Midnight, named after the second track from the album "Follow the Reaper".
Laiho died on 29 December 2020 after long-term health complications, 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.
Awards and recognition.
Laiho has often been described as a visionary who brought back melody and flamboyance to metal music in a post-grunge and nu metal era. His guitar style was influenced by black metal, power metal and classical music, all cemented together by blistering solos. He was known for his guitar-keyboard solo duels with Janne Wirman, keyboardist in his band Children of Bodom.
Laiho received a Metal Hammer Golden Gods prize in the category of Dimebag Darrell Shredder Award in 2008.
Laiho received widespread acclaim for his guitar work and according to AllMusic, he is "widely celebrated as one of the genre's most accomplished players". In 2004 he was ranked No. 96 out of 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time by "Guitar World". "Guitar World" magazine has also ranked him as one of the 50 fastest guitarists in the world. In addition, Roadrunner Records ranked Laiho at No. 41 out of 50 of The Greatest Metal Frontmen of All Time. Furthermore, "Total Guitar" conducted a public voting poll to determine the greatest metal guitarist of all time; Laiho was voted No. 1 out of 20 metal guitarists, with over 20% of the vote.
Personal life and death.
In February 2002, Laiho married Kimberly Goss during a private ceremony in Finland "mainly because Goss would receive a residence permit in Finland". In November 2002 Alexi Laiho filed for divorce but "quickly withdrew his application" after Goss announced she would take over half of Laiho's property. He authored a will that spearheaded his mother as the head of his estate, excluding any marriages, "In it, he states that his last will is that all his possessions will be given after his death to his parents. IS has seen a will and a certificate of employment confirming that Laiho had no children [to Goss]." For several years after he was then with Kristen Mulderig, manager of Slayer until mid 2015. Later that same year he began a relationship with Kelli Wright, an Australian public relations manager who he became engaged to September 2016 and the two married in a traditional handfasting ceremony, December 2017. Kelli Wright became Alexi Laiho’s domestic wife and spouse under Australian law, "We lived together in Australia. We have a beautiful house. We paid our bills together and did groceries together – I even bought his clothes" After Laiho's death it was revealed that Laiho died prior to a divorce settlement being agreed on with Goss, "He was supposed to finish the paperwork for the divorce – and we were supposed to get married officially. We had great plans." His marriage to Wright had not yet been legalised.
Laiho had a long history of alcohol abuse, which ultimately 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 explained how he used to drink heavily but cut back in 2013, not drinking while on tour anymore, and mentioned that "Hexed" first single, "Under Grass and Clover", documented the pain of withdrawal.
On 4 January 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 29 December 2020. A private funeral service for Laiho was held on 28 January 2021.. To this day, Laiho's ashes have not been buried, "When the urn should have been lowered, Anna Laiho got a call from the funeral home. Goss’s lawyer had contacted him and refused to hand over the urn. Goss wants it handed over to him [her], Anna Laiho says." 
On 5 March 2021, in opposition of Finnish Law Kimberly Goss revealed the official cause of Laiho's death on her Instagram against the wishes of the Estate: "alcohol-induced degeneration of the liver and pancreas connective tissue". Also, 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", and a more accurate English translation would be fatty liver disease and pancreatic fibrosis.