Former Children Of Bodom keyboardist Janne Wirman shared details about the death of Alexi Laiho. In a recent interview with Blabbermouth, Wirman recalled the frontman’s foreshadowing about his passing. The keyboardist said:
“Alexi’s downfall started in 2016. 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*ck, man. You can’t say that to me.'”
It appears that Laiho also talked about drinking heavily two years later. Wirman revealed:
“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*cking crazy.”
Though the frontman’s cause of death was revealed to be alcohol-related, he spoke in ‘The Wanderers’ podcast two years before his death, where he claimed that he no longer would be drinking since he couldn’t ‘deal with the hangovers anymore.’ Laiho told:
“I still drink, but not when I’m on the road. I can have a beer or two every now and then, but I can’t deal with the hangovers anymore and, like, hop on stage. When you’re getting older, the hangovers get so fucking bad, at least personally. I guess it’s different for everybody, but I just want to lie on the couch and do f*cking nothing.”
According to the remaining members, Laiho was sober throughout the band’s final tour in Finland in December 2019. The frontman’s sister, his wife, and a few friends tried to get him professional help in 2020, but he refused.
Laiho was buried in a private funeral in Finland in January 2021.
