In a recent interview with Blabbermouth, Janne “Warman” Wirman, the ex-keyboardist of CHILDREN OF BODOM, discussed the circumstances leading to the band’s breakup in 2019 and the decline in Laiho’s health. The conversation was part of the promotional activities for Here For None, the forthcoming album from his band, WARMEN.
“Alexi‘s downfall started in 2016,” he said. “I don’t know what caused him to do that. He told me but didn’t tell anyone else in the band — he made sure no one else was in the room — and told me, ‘Dude, from now on, I’m going to drink until I die.’ I said, ‘F**k, man. You can’t say that to me.’ He said it another time in 2018. I knew that was what he was doing — he said he wouldn’t take any help for his medical issues. He was going to keep drinking. That’s what he did, which is f**king crazy.”
“A lot of people who haven’t had a family friend or work buddy or someone who is sick with alcoholism, a lot of people don’t understand you cannot help the person who doesn’t want help. He had decided he didn’t want help and would keep drinking until he died. That’s what he did.”
Wirman proceeded to elucidate on BODOM‘s last few years, which were characterized by internal discord primarily due to Laiho’s struggles with substance misuse.
“The last years were pretty bad,” he said. “There was a lot of bulls**t. It’s so crazy because he was in such a good place a couple of years before. He was happy about being sober and on tour, and the shows were good. I don’t know what happened to him. Something pushed him over the edge where he decided, ‘F**k it. I’m going to keep drinking.'”
Laiho passed away on December 29, 2020 in his home in Helsinki, Finland. The 41-year-old had suffered from long-term health issues leading up to his death.
Alexi and drummer Jaska Raatikainen founded CHILDREN OF BODOM in 1993, and the band was one of the most internationally acclaimed metal acts in Finland up until their very last farewell concert in December of 2019. Last year Alexi Laiho put together BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT, who recorded three songs and shot one music video, which will be released later on posthumously.
