Original CHILDREN OF BODOM Guitarist On ALEXI LAIHO’s Death: ‘I Was In Shock For Days’

Alexi Laiho Alexander Kuoppala

In a new interview with Finland’s Kaaos TV, original CHILDREN OF BODOM guitarist Alexander Kuoppala was asked how he found out about Alexi Laiho‘s death. Laiho passed away on December 29 in his home in Helsinki, Finland. The 41-year-old had suffered from long-term health issues leading up to his death.

Kuoppala said (as transcribed by Metal Addicts): I was at home, I woke up late in the afternoon. I watched my phone and my daughter had sent me a SMS that said Alexi is dead. And I was like, ‘No, no, no… that can’t be real.’ Of course, I went to internet and every news page was full of it. So I had to believe it’s true.

“I wasn’t so much in touch with him late years, but it was still a surprise to me how sick he ended up to be. It was total shock for me. I was in shock for days. I just couldn’t believe it’s true.”

Alexander was a member of CHILDREN OF BODOM from 1995 to 2003. He played on their albums Something WildHatebreederFollow the Reaper, and Hate Crew Deathroll.

Alexi Laiho 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.