Alexi Laiho’s Ex-Wife Says ‘Illegal’ Funeral Was Held + Fans Were ‘Duped’ by ‘Fake GoFundMe’ Campaign

Kimberly Goss, who was legally married to Children of Bodom’s Alexi Laiho by Finnish law at the time of his death, has spoken out against the musician’s widow, Kelli Wright-Laiho. According to Goss, Wright-Laiho held an “illegal” funeral for Alexi, paid for by a sham GoFundMe campaign.

Alexi Laiho married Kimberly Goss in 2002, but the couple separated two years later. According to Goss, the two were never legally divorced, even with Finland’s laws stating that divorce can be granted without two-party consent.

According to Finnish law, the estate of the deceased must cover the expenses of the funeral, meaning Goss (the surviving spouse) was legally responsible for the costs. However, a friend of Wright-Laiho’s (who goes by Sheri Vengeance) launched a GoFundMe for “burial and all associated expenses that arise from losing a loved one” with the money raised going to Kelli Wright-Laiho. In total, $7,029 was raised before the GoFundMe page was disabled by its organizer.

In a statement provided to BraveWords, Goss accuses Wright-Laiho of manipulating Alexi’s sister, holding the musician’s funeral without Goss’ consent or the presence of Alexi’s closest friends, enabling Alexi’s addictions, and making the Bodom frontman believe he was “fat, weak and worthless.”

Goss’ full statement reads:

It has taken every bit of strength inside of me to try and stay classy, respectful and remain the lone adult in the room. Alexi would be horrified to see the circus and mockery that this Australian person has created out of his death. I am only human and there is only so much trauma, abuse and pure fucking evil that I can withstand and endure. I will not continue to allow her to disgrace his memory by manipulating his fans into donating money to fake GoFundMe campaigns or to have the world think they were a perfect, happy couple. Her 'grieving widow act' ends today.
She is nothing more than an attention starved leech who successfully preyed upon a man during the most vulnerable point in his life. A time when his girlfriend, dearest friends and closest allies were trying desperately to get him some much needed help. Help that he wasn’t willing to receive. This Australian person swooped in and became his biggest enabler of bad habits, highlighting through her Instagram account their 'glamorous, party hard rock n’ roll lifestyle.'
Anyone reading this who has ever had experience with addiction themselves or knows someone who has a substance abuse problem will understand how addictive personalities will gravitate toward people who enable that behavior. People who will not say no to them. Often times you’ll see this happen to celebrities / rock stars because everyone wants a piece of them. Unfortunately, there exists an element of depraved sub-humans who have no conscience or morals. They realize the only way they can get close is by enabling the addiction of that celebrity, consequences be damned. We’ve all seen this story play out before with other rock stars, famous comedians, actors, athletes, etc. Time to put down those rose-colored glasses and see the truth.
There were many wonderful people Alexi's his life right until his very last breath. People who loved him and truly tried their very best to help him. She was not one of them. He told me how she was pressuring him almost daily to divorce me and that he would keep her at bay by telling her that I refused to sign the divorce papers. Of course, now the truth has been revealed that in Finland the law states that you can divorce your spouse WITHOUT the signature of the other person. He could have divorced me at any time in the last decade+, without my consent or approval. The fact that he didn’t speaks volumes. As much as I care about Alexi, his unwillingness to be honest with her has created an unnecessary shitstorm of stress and chaos in many people’s lives. We all loved him, but he sadly had his demons.
This woman in Australia is desperate because she knows her plot failed. She spread false lies and accusations about me online, resulting in multiple threats to my inbox from fans that chose to believe her. Her last ditch effort at attention was to post pictures of the funeral that was held by his sister last week, with the Aussie named as the widow. I don’t care about that, but it’s the repulsive deception that sickens me to my very core. Let’s call this what it REALLY is. It was her way to do damage control for that disgusting GoFundMe campaign her friend set up to pay for Alexi's supposed 'funeral expenses.'
Well, in Finland the estate of the deceased covers the expenses of the funeral. If you donated to this fund, you were duped.
I will not speak a single negative word about Alexi's sister. She is grieving the loss of her baby brother and she's being horribly manipulated by this Australian person. I love his family in Finland with all my heart and soul. Unfortunately, his sister’s judgement has been clouded by lies. She had the funeral illegally, without my knowledge or consent, and without the presence of his closest friends. We all had a right to say goodbye to him and that opportunity was taken from us. I hope one day his sister will allow me to show her all the proof in my phone, from Alexi's own words regarding the truth about the Australian woman. A woman who made him think and feel that he was fat, weak and worthless. His words, not mine.
Let’s face it, Alexi spent most of his life with his bandmates, his loves and his closest friends. I fall under each category. His family in Finland, lovely as they may be, were far removed from his daily life. I can’t blame his sister for not understanding, but I can hope that one day she’ll finally come around and see the truth.
Let me be clear, I am in no way blaming the Australian for his death. Alexi was a big boy and he could make his own decisions. However, if you truly love someone, the LAST thing you do to them is enable their addictive behaviors when you know it’s killing them. I have tried to wish her peace, love and light throughout this difficult time, but she is making it impossible for those feelings to remain authentic. She has an innocent daughter that I know Alexi deeply loved. I hope this woman will end this publicity stunt for the sake of her child. Being a mother myself, I can’t even begin to fathom wanting to have this ugly drama unfold for the world to see.
I’m sure there are those critics who will point their fingers at me and say I’m no better than her, but you must remember that I did not start this mess. I am just hoping to clean it up once and for all. I was willing to keep all her embarrassing secrets to myself because none of that will bring him back. However, when threats started being made, I had an obligation to defend myself. The truth absolutely matters.
To the Australian woman: stop this madness and get over yourself. Be a mother to your child and let Alexi finally rest in peace. I don’t wish you any harm or ill will, but you need to grow up and do some serious soul searching. Take time to heal before you make yourself look even more foolish than you already have.
– Kimberly Goss

Loudwire has reached out to Kelli Wright-Laiho and Sheri Vengeance for comment regarding Goss’ statement, but we have yet to receive a response.