Irmeli Mäkelä, a Finnish pop singer, died on March 15, 2026, at the age of 83.
Born Hellä Muisto Irmeli Mäkelä in Kotka on October 18, 1942, she began her pop singing career at 15 after competing in a local singing contest and working as a soloist in an orchestra. In her twenties, she received a recording contract from the record company Helsinki.
In 1959, she collaborated with composer Erik Lindström on the songs “Too Little Time” and “Taken by the Stream,” and also recorded the Finnish-language cover “Kun Ohi Käyt.” In 1963, she competed for Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest with “Muistojeni laulu.”
Hellä Muisto Irmeli Mäkelä (18 October 1942 – 15 March 2026), known professionally as Irmeli Mäkelä, was a Finnish pop singer.