Matti Ensio Nykänen (pronounced [ˈmɑtːi ˈnykænen] ⓘ; 17 July 1963 – 4 February 2019)[1] was a Finnish ski jumper who competed from 1981 to 1991.

Nykänen remains the only male five-time ski flying world record holder in history.

From the 1990s onwards, Nykänen's status as a celebrity was mainly fueled by his personal relationships, his career as a pop singer, and various incidents often related to heavy use of alcohol and violent behaviour.

[7] On 16 March 1984, he set ski jumping world distance record on official training two times at 182 metres (597 ft).

[18] The marriage was tempestuous and gave rise to many well-publicised incidents: The first reported assault against Tapola occurred in June 2000, following a restraining order that was imposed upon Nykänen.

[20] On Christmas Day 2009, Nykänen allegedly injured his wife with a knife and tried to throttle her with a bathrobe belt.

On 24 August 2010, Nykänen was convicted of grievous bodily harm and sentenced to 16 months in prison[4] and ordered to pay €5,000 in compensation to his wife for pain and emotional suffering and €3,000 for legal expenses.

On 24 August 2004, Nykänen was arrested on suspicion of attempted manslaughter of a family friend after losing a finger pulling competition[22] in Tottijärvi, Nokia.

When Nykänen's ski jumping career was drawing to a close, a group of businessmen proposed to make him a singer.

In November 2009, Nykänen began to present his own cooking web series Mattihan se sopan keitti (After all, it's a soup kitchen).

[29][30] Matti Nykänen died at his home in Lappeenranta, shortly after midnight on 4 February 2019, from a sudden illness, at the age of 55.

[33][34] The news of his death was widely reported by the media both in Finland and abroad, with many tributes also paid to him by fellow ski jumpers of his time.