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How did Alexi Laiho die? How 'Children of Bodom' frontman battled health issues for years

Considered one of the best guitarists in the world, Laiho died in his home in Helsinki, Finland

Alexi Laiho died at the age of 41 last week in his home in Helsinki, Finland. The musician, considered one of the best guitarists in the world, was reportedly suffering from long-term health issues in his final years. His death was confirmed by a statement written by Laiho's group members from Bodom After Midnight that was posted on Napalm Records’ official Twitter account: “It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we have to announce the passing of Alexi Laiho. We are absolutely devastated and heartbroken for the sudden loss of our dear friend and band member.” The post was signed by Laiho’s bandmates Daniel Freyberg, Mitja Toivonen, and Waltteri Väyrynen.

Though the cause of Laiho’s death is not known yet, in 2019 he was diagnosed with a broken collar bone. Also known as Wildchild, Laiho went under the knife at the time and revealed, “Everything seems hard right now as I had a massive shoulder operation about two years ago. Apparently, my collar bone had been broken for about 10 years. I’ve had to relearn how to play. It’s not a nerve problem, but some of my fingers are not up to speed on a lot of things. It’s a slow process; I’m still not quite back to where I was before the operation."

Before that in July 2012, the 'Children of Bodom' frontman was rushed to hospital in Oslo, Norway. At the time, it was said he had "extreme stomach pain” and because of that several gigs in Norway and Sweden were canceled. That time’s Facebook statement from his band stated, “This is not an easy letter for us to write. Alexi is suffering from a serious infection. He is still in hospital in Oslo under the supervision of the doctors and we don’t know yet when they will release him.

“This is a very bitter pill for us to swallow. We had decided to do only two festivals in our homeland this summer to make it real special, and now this. We hope that we will be able to make up for this very soon. To all our fans who had been looking forward to rock with us at Ruisrock this weekend, take our apologies and enjoy the festival. In our spirits, we will be there, too.” The year 2009 was also not great for Laiho as he broke his wrist after falling out of his bunk due to which he had to cancel some parts of his North American 'No Fear Energy Tour'.

The sudden death of Laiho has left his fans devastated. One such fan tweeted, “Heartbreaking. One of the main reasons i got into metal. Fantastic musician and made some of my favorite albums. He was in a bad way for a while, but didn't expect it to come to this so soon. R.I.P Alexi.” Another one said, “I don't know what to say might be the first time I am genuinely upset by the death of somebody I never met/talked to CoB was the band that sparked my love for the sound of guitars and non-clean vocals became my favourite band as a teen Rip.”

“COB was my first band with harsh vocals. I'm not sure I ever get into Arch Enemy or Carcass without hearing songs like 'Needled 24/7' and 'In Your Face' that forced me to look past vocals I found unpalatable at the time because the music was just that compelling. So sad,” the third fan added.