Earl Heikka

Heikka took up drinking shortly after his brother Mike's death. In May 1941, he had an argument with his wife, who left him and moved into her parents' house with their children. A few days later, on May 18, 1941, Heikka drove up to their house and committed suicide by shooting himself in the heart inside his car. His Christian Science funeral was held at the W. H. George Chapel two days later.

Heikka married Virginia Middleton in 1933. They had four children, and they resided in Great Falls. Heikka was a member of Christian Science.

Heikka opened his first studio on actor Gary Cooper's ranch in 1929. He was introduced to William Andrews Clark, III, the grandson of mining magnate William A. Clark, by Cooper in 1930. It was thanks to Clark that Heikka exhibited his work at the Stendahl Galleries in the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles in 1931. Heikka subsequently exhibited his work in Dallas, Texas in 1936, and at the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco in 1939.

Earl Heikka (May 3, 1910 – May 18, 1941) was an American sculptor. He designed figurines and statues of the Old West, miners, and horses. He committed suicide at age 31.

Heikka was born on May 3, 1910, in Belt, Montana. Both his parents were immigrants from Finland. His father, who served as an alderman in Belt, died when Heikka was four, and the latter grew up in Great Falls, Montana. Heikka graduated from the Great Falls High School.