Layne Staley

Brautigan

This from CNN.com:

If it is Layne, Rest in Peace man... Thanks for the music...

" SEATTLE, Washington (CNN) -- A body has been removed from the University District residence of Layne Staley, the lead singer of the Seattle rock group Alice in Chains, a spokesman for the King County Sheriff's Department said.

Sgt. Cameron Webster said the body is partially decomposed, and officials from the county medical examiner's office have not identified it. The body was found Friday.

Officials want to compare dental records, among other things, before they release the name of the person, which could happen later Saturday.

There are local media reports quoting officials who say the body could be Staley's. Alice in Chains was prominent in Seattle's early 1990s heyday of grunge rock."

Brautigan

.. and this from the Seattle Times:




Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 01:42 a.m. Pacific

Body found in singer's house in U District

By Seattle Times staff and wire reports

A body was removed last night from the University District residence of Layne Staley, lead singer and guitarist for the Seattle grunge band Alice in Chains.
KOMO-TV, citing an unidentified source, said the body was that of Staley, 34.

A King County medical-examiner's investigator said his office removed a body from the Staley address and planned an autopsy today, but he refused to confirm the identity of the person. He said it appeared the person had been dead for some time and would have to be identified scientifically.

Staley had a history of substance abuse, and in the early 1990s publicly acknowledged an addiction to heroin.

Alice in Chains, formed in Seattle in 1987, was part of the early '90s heyday of grunge. The band was mentioned in the same breath as Nirvana and Soundgarden.

The band's debut album, "Facelift," was released in 1990, and the song "We Die Young" became a top-5 metal track.

In 1991, the band was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Heavy Metal Artist.

The band's last release was "Nothing Safe — Best Of The Box" in 1999.

Staley also fronted the side band Mad Season.

Fans last night were already mourning Staley's death on bulletin boards on music sites.

One wrote: "You were an amazing man Layne; a tortured soul, but a loved one. Wherever you are, I hope you feel how much you and your music meant to your fans. Rest in peace."

francie brady

I alway thought that Alice in Chains could have been huge had Layne Staley keep his **** together. Facelift and Dirt where my favorite grunge albums.

ro7

My friend just rang me and told me . The two biggest Alice In Chains sites have said nothin , but the MTV2 sites' main news headline was that , it had not yet been conrirmed , but that sourses said it was . Bollix . That fecker and his drugs , they could have been hugh . They were hugh . I remember the first time I heard 'Would' . I nearly wet myself . I played Dirt to death , I was even lucky enough to see them . I remember Layne up on stage , off his face and he said of his bottle of Jack Daniels , and I quote ..." Our stage is your stage , just don't touch my Jack , Jack !". Dirt is one of my all time favourite albums and Alice In Chains one of my all time favourite bands . I hope it's not true , but if it is , rest in peace . Go knows you probably need it .

" and we die young......"

skittles

no way... feelin sad now. AIC were probably the most important band when I was growing up and playing in my first bands etc. And I've always maintained that their sfx gig was the best gig ive ever been to... pure rock n'roll...

RIP Layne

atonal

tragic one of the defining voices of the grunge movement.

Minerva

To be honest..I've been waiting for this day for a while now.
I knew that ****er wouldnt give up.
and yet I cant f u c k i n believe it.
they were an amazing band.
"...I dont go broke and I do it alot.."
Just like Neil Young said "every junkie is like a setting sun"

nim psychotic

This is really sad news. Couldn't believe it when I heard. Every AIC album kicked ass. RIP Sir Staley.

atonal

they're playing a whole set of AIC now man I forgot how quality that band was, been meaning to get me and AIC unplugged cd for awhile.

hooskadoo

u know what really pisses me off???? i sent a message in to phantom early this morning informing them of laynes death and that jewel or pearl or whatever her name is says the singer from soundgarden has just died!!! wtf??? then she goes "oh wait its actually the alice in chains singer, well i guess that shows how much i like that band". i'm starting not to like phantom anymore, all they ever play is obscure acoustic sh*te from some worthless folk bands that make u wonder how in the hell they ever got a record deal. ok i'm done

Minerva

that reminds me of when Kurt died and Gerry Ryan was arguing with Dave Fanning saying that he didnt understand why so many people were upset and crying...he just didnt get it...and Fanning told him off.

some people just arent effected by such things.

darkmaster

Alice in Chains are one of the best bands in the world and always will be, They were one of the first "real" bands that I got into all those years ago and I hate to think what I would be listening to today if It werent for those guys.

May he rest in Peace

from all at FreakFm

www.freakfm.com

Tara

The latest from the papers.




Heroin kit found with rock singer's body

SEATTLE (AP) — Heroin paraphernalia was found with the body of Layne Staley, the singer of the grunge rock group Alice in Chains, police said Sunday.

Authorities said Staley, 34, lay dead in his north Seattle apartment for two weeks, his body surrounded by heroin-injection paraphernalia, before a relative discovered him.

Foul play was not suspected, and there was to be no criminal investigation, Seattle Police spokesman Duane Fish said.

"There was nothing suspicious about the death. It appears to be overdose or possibly a natural death," Fish said.

Staley's body was reported found Friday, but the presence of drug paraphernalia and estimated time of death were not initially released. An autopsy was conducted on Saturday, but the cause of death won't be confirmed for weeks because toxin tests were being conducted, the King County Medical Examiner's office said Sunday.

Some 100 friends and fans held an candlelight vigil Saturday night at the Seattle Center.

Behind Staley's snarling, wailing vocals, and Jerry Cantrell's driving guitar riffs, Alice in Chains became one of the biggest acts to emerge from the Seattle grunge phenomenon of the early 1990s, with Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. The group's debut, Facelift, got significant airplay, and its 1994 EP, Jar of Flies, debuted at No. 1.

The group's hits included Man in the Box, Them Bones, Rooster, and Would?

The latter song was partly inspired by the 1990 heroin overdose death of Andrew Wood, singer of the seminal grunge group Mother Love Bone. Some of its members went on to form Pearl Jam.

Staley's body was found eight years after Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was found dead in his Seattle home of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Heroin was found in Cobain's bloodstream.

Alice in Chains was essentially in limbo by 1995, as Staley fell deeper into addiction. He spoke of making a comeback, but the band never again launched a major tour.

Staley entered rehab several times but couldn't kick his habit. He was featured on the cover of a 1996 issue of Rolling Stone with the heading "The Needle and the Damage Done."

Several of the songs on the group's album Dirt dealt with heroin addiction, and a song from 1990's Facelift ends abruptly with the line, "And we die young."

---

Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

atonal

2 weeks, 100 fans and friends, wow those are some really sad numbers.

Minerva

Friends remembered Staley as a warm personality with a sense of humor. He joked with reporters about the frequent false reports of his death, and he remained upbeat even as his troubles increased.

In a 1998 interview with the radio show "Rockline," he laughed when he was compared to Greta Garbo for his reclusiveness. When asked what he was up to he replied, "A bunch of stuff, huge things. You'll hear about it real soon.''

It was one of the last interviews Staley did.

b20uvkft6m5xwg

Thats very sad to hear.
I must admit i always had a bit of a softspot for AIC.

Yet another life gone to drug misuse. A crying shame.

bombidol

I have to admit, this is one of the saddest things that could happen to me, when i was a kid we all used to listen to AIC and i only recently got back listening to them. Rest in peace

Bomb

AtlantaSuburb

...the damage done...

i've never been huge into alice in chains, but for seattle this is yet another tragedy. good bye, layne, i hope you've found happiness where you are now!

:-)

AtlantaSuburb:cool:

Aspro

What a waste.

That fúckin drug is the cause of so much destruction.

Still, the music lives on forever.

I Can Feel The Wheel But I Can't Steer
When My Thoughts Become My Biggest Fear

Ah, What's The Difference, I'll Die
In This Sick World Of Mine

RIP Layne Staley 1967-2002

bombidol

"My path leads me to nowhere"
Layne Staley



bomB