Aki Pekka Antero Sirkesalo (25 July 1962 – 26 December 2004) was a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

singer and broadcaster.

Career

Sirkesalo started his public career in 1984 as an announcer in the

Finnish Broadcasting Company Yleisradio Oy ( Finnish, literally "General Radio Ltd." or "General Broadcast Ltd."; abbr. Yle ; sv, Rundradion Ab, italics=no), translated to English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, found ...

radio show ''Rockradio''. In 1986, he formed a band called Giddyups and later a successful a cappella group Veeti and the Velvets. Sirkesalo released his first solo album '' Mielenrauhaa'' in 1995. He went on to make four more solo albums, the last of which, '' Sanasta miestä'', was released posthumously in February 2005. Sirkesalo also hosted music-related TV shows for the Finnish Broadcasting Company.

Death

Sirkesalo, aged 42, and his family (wife Johanna, aged 38, son Sampo, aged 8 and daughter Saana, aged 4) drowned after being struck by the

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...

during their vacation in

Khao Lak Khao Lak ( th, เขาหลัก, ) is a series of villages, now tourist-oriented, mainly in the Takua Pa District and partly in the Thai Mueang District of Phang Nga Province, Thailand. The name "Khao Lak" literally translated means 'Mai ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

, in 2004. They lie buried in

Toijala Toijala is a former town and municipality of Finland, located some south of Tampere. On 1 January 2007, it was consolidated with Viiala to form the town of Akaa. Toijala is known as an important railway crossroads. The Helsinki–Tampere an ...

. Before his death, Sirkesalo lived with his family for the last few years of his life in Klaukkala,

Nurmijärvi Nurmijärvi () is the most populated rural municipality of Finland, located north of the capital Helsinki. The neighboring municipalities of Nurmijärvi are Espoo, Vantaa, Tuusula, Hyvinkää and Vihti, and it is part of the Greater Helsinki. Th ...

Solo albums

References

1962 births 2004 deaths 20th-century Finnish male singers Finnish television presenters Finnish radio presenters Finnish rock singers Finnish composers Finnish lyricists Finnish guitarists Deaths by drowning Victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami Natural disaster deaths in Thailand People from Akaa Finnish music arrangers 21st-century Finnish male singers {{Finland-singer-stub