Aki Sirkesalo

Aki Sirkesalo (born July 25, 1962, Toijala, Finland - died December 26, 2004, Khao Lak, Thailand) was a Finnish musician and singer.

As a child he played trumpet, but later on changed to guitar. His first notable band was Giddyups, founded in 1986. After the band was disbanded in 1990, Sirkesalo was invited to join Veeti & The Velvets by another band member and friend Sami Saari. Sirkesalo launched his solo career in late 1992. The first single "Hikinen iltapäivä" came out in April 1994, and later on the same year another single "Mustankipee". In January 1995 came out the third single "Naispaholainen" and the album "Mielenrauhaa", which was a great success. After that he released 4 albums. In 2003, he released a single with the Swedish singer Lisa Nilsson, called "Mysteriet". He also hosted TV shows, such as "Groovymeisseli" (together with Sami Saari) and "Poppia kyydissä".

He and his family drowned after being struck by a tsunami during their vacation on December 26, 2004 in Khao Lak, Thailand. His last album, "Sanasta miestä" was released posthumously in 2005, with the consent of his relatives.