Alexi Laiho's wife has shared photos of the private funeral service for the former CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman, who 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. On Wednesday (February 3), Australian-born Kelli Wright, who has previously worked as a publicist for various extreme metal bands, took to her Instagram to post a picture of what appears to be an invitation to the January 28 service, along with a photo of Alexi's casket surrounded by beautiful flower arrangements. She wrote in an accompanying caption: "Although Shelby" — referring to Kelli's daughter from an earlier relationship" — "and I were unable to be there physically on the 28th of January, we were still able to share this heartbreakingly beautiful day with Alexi's closest. "I'd like to thank my family @annalaiho and @nadanada_i_know_you for trusting me in all arrangements. "My perfect love, your memory is sown in our hearts where it will stay forever, cherished and honored." When Alexi's death was first announced on January 4, Kelli called him "the most loving and magnificent husband and father." Last month, Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat reported that Alexi was still married to former SINERGY bandmate Kimberly Goss at the time of his death. Laiho tied the knot with Goss in February 2002, and the couple never officially divorced. Goss confirmed this information directly with Ilta-Sanomat. Although Laiho filed for divorce in November 2002, he quickly withdrew the petition and never filed another. According to Finnish law, Laiho and Wright would not have been able to wed, as Laiho and Goss had never terminated their marriage. At the time of Alexi's death, Goss was at her current home in Chicago, Illinois, while Wright was in Australia. In December 2017, Wright shared an Instagram photo of what she called her and Alexi's "wedding day," and described it as "full of love and magic". Goss moved to Finland in 1999 and stayed in the country for a number of years before moving back to the United States in 2012. Laiho reportedly spent the last 10 months of his life in Finland. 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 put together BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT, which recorded three songs and shot one music video, to be released posthumously. Besides CHILDREN OF BODOM, Laiho had played in such acts as WARMEN, SINERGY, KYLÄHULLUT and THE LOCAL BAND. Awarded with a Metal Hammer Golden God and several other international prizes, the guitarist was also the main star, leading a group of one hundred guitar players at the Helsinki Festival in 2015 in "100 Guitars From Hel" — a massive concert piece he composed. BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT made its live debut last October at Rytmikorjaamo in Seinäjoki, Finland. The 17-song show consisted entirely of CHILDREN OF BODOM material.
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