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lexi Laiho, guitarist with Children Of Bodom, Sinergy, The Local Band, Kylähullut, and Bodom After Midnight, has died aged 41. At the time of writing, the exact date and cause of his death have not been made public. A 4th January post on his Facebook page said only that he had died the previous week, and that he had “suffered from long-term health issues during his last years.”
Laiho was born in Espoo, Finland, on 8th April 1979. His breakthrough act, Children Of Bodom, was founded in 1993 as Inearthed. Their third album, 1999’s Follow The Reaper, went Gold in their native Finland, while 2008’s Blooddrunk confirmed their international breakthrough by charting in the US and UK. Rising to prominence during the nu-metal era, Laiho helped bring shred guitar back into fashion. Beyond his astounding creativity, Alexi’s technique arsenal included devastating alternate picking, sweep picking, tapping, and whammy bar tricks.