Children of Bodom’s keyboardist returns to the death of Alexi Laiho

Children of Bodom’s keyboardist Janne Wirman confided in the descent into the hell of Alexi Laiho, describing the death of his former comrade as “a suicide at low fire”, in a poignant interview as the exit of the official book devoted to the group.

“He had decided that he was going to die from his addictions” – Children bodom's keyboardist returns death

In an interview with Chris Akin Presents (via Blabbermouth)Janne Wirman returns with emotion on the last years of Alexi Laiho. For example, who disappeared in December 2020 at the age of 41. Similarly, According to him, the decline of the singer and guitarist started in 2016: “We watched our friend suicide slowly.”

Despite the attempts of his relatives to help him. Moreover, Laiho refused any form of support: “He told me very clearly that he would never become sober again.” For Wirman. Meanwhile, it was not a choice fully children bodom’s keyboardist returns death aware of dying, but a self -destructive behavior that no one managed to stop.

Distramed. the keyboardist had already started his withdrawal from the group even before the official separation in 2019: “I started doing other projects. It had become such chaos.”

A sincere testimony to discover in a book expected in August

Wirman’s account is only an overview of what fans will be able to read in the official book of Children of Bodom. whose release is scheduled for August 2025 via the editor Rocket 88. Written by Finnish journalist Timo ISOAHO. this collective testimony traces more than thirty years of career through the voices of Janne Wirman, Henkka Seppäläl Raatikainen, Alexander Kuoppala, but also former members and close friends.

As mentioned in a previous article. other former members of the group recently shared touching memories, evoking a frontman that is both brilliant, reserved and demanding, but also deeply tormented. Kuoppala notably underlined children bodom’s keyboardist returns death his extreme perfectionism, described in another testimony published in May.

The book promises an unhappiness in the history of the group. from the beginning under the name Inearthed to the farewell concert in Helsinki in 2019, including the creation of the Bodom after Midnight project, launched shortly before Alexi’s death.

If Laiho’s musical heritage continues to inspire a generation of guitarists. its last years leave a bitter taste for its former companions. Like Janne Wirman, who concludes: “He had changed so much. I understood in the end that I had to let go.”