R.I.P. LAYNE STALEY

Five years ago today police discovered the remains of the body of ALICE IN CHAINS singer Layne Staley after a concerned neighbor phoned 911 that she hadn’t heard anything from the singer in two weeks. As reported by Rick Anderson of the Seattle Weekly, his body was surrounded by various drug possessions and paraphernalia: “When police kicked in the door to Layne Staley’s University District apartment on April 19, there, on a couch, lit by a flickering TV, next to several spray-paint cans on the floor, not far from a small stash of cocaine, near two crack pipes on the coffee table, reposed the remains of the rock musician.” He was 34 years old. An autopsy report would later reveal that he died after injecting a mix of heroin and cocaine, and the coroner estimated his date of death to be April 5th, coincidentally the same date as the death of NIRVANA singer Kurt Cobain.

Layne Staley’s death was definitely a big blow to me. Alice in Chains’ music was a big part of my youth and I watched through his later years as the media swirled around Layne’s deteriorating condition. Let’s all have a moment of silence or a thought for Layne today.

Read a more detailed history of the life of Layne Staley on Wikipedia.

-VN