- Pelle “Dead” Ohlin, lead vocalist of Norwegian black metal band Mayhem, had a deep fascination with death, influenced by a near-death experience in his childhood.
- Dead committed suicide on April 8, 1991, at age 22, leaving a note that read, “Excuse all the blood”, indicating previous attempts to end his life.
- His death led to controversy within the black metal community, especially when a photo of his body was used for a bootleg album cover, and marked a turning point in the history of Norwegian black metal.
Pelle “Dead” Ohlin, born Per Yngve Ohlin on January 16, 1969, in Västerhaninge, Stockholm County, Sweden, was a figure who lived up to his stage name in more ways than one. As the lead vocalist and lyricist of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem from 1988 until his death in 1991, Dead was as much a harbinger of doom off-stage as he was on.
His fascination with death was not a mere stage gimmick. Dead hoarded dead birds, wore shirts with funeral announcements printed on them and was one of the first in black metal to wear corpse paint. His obsession with death was triggered by a near-death experience in his childhood when his spleen ruptured after being beaten by bullies. He was declared clinically dead for a while, which later inspired his stage name.
His suicide note, which read, “Excuse all the blood”, indicated his remorse for the mess his death would cause.
Dead’s life came to a tragic end on April 8, 1991, at the age of 22. He slit his throat and wrists with a knife and then shot himself in the forehead with a shotgun. His suicide note, which read, “Excuse all the blood”, indicated his remorse for the mess his death would cause. The note also revealed that Dead had made previous attempts to end his life by slitting his wrists and throat.
The aftermath of Dead’s death was as controversial as his life. Euronymous, who discovered Dead’s body, allegedly took photos of the scene and used one of them as the cover for a bootleg live album, “The Dawn of the Black Hearts”. This act caused significant controversy and tension within the black metal community.
Dead’s death marked a turning point in the history of the Norwegian black metal scene, leading to a wave of irrational behavior within the scene. Despite the tragic circumstances of his death, Dead’s influence on the aesthetics and ethos of black metal is still recognized today.
In the end, Dead’s life and death were as enigmatic and haunting as the music he created. His story serves as a chilling testament to the dark underbelly of the black metal scene, a world where art and reality often blur into one.
