Obituary to the Alice In Chains singer

Layne Staley, the troubled/reclusive star of Alice In Chains, was found dead on Friday (19 April 2002) in Seattle; he was 34 years old and the cause of death is yet to be established. When his body was discovered it had began decomposing and only a post-mortem would determine the time and the cause.

It took good 12 hours for medical examiner to positively identify the body, apparently. A police officer was quoted saying that “it was natural or an overdose - thats’s the way it was determined by our investigators.” (OD is suspected as drug paraphernalia was found near the body.)

The darkly heavy and menacing sounds of downer music the band’s canned will continue to enthral anyone who listens to the band’s studio albums – ‘Facelift’ (1991), ‘Dirt’ (1992), ‘Alice In Chains’ (1995), ‘MTV Unplugged’ (1996), ‘Nothing Safe’ (1999, compilation) that is edited version of ‘Music Bank’ (3 CD set) – or concert material, ‘Live’ (2000), that is being re-launched in May.

The quartet was more of, what used to be known as, an ‘album band’ and only few singles really did trouble the charts: ‘Would?’ peaked at No. 19 in the UK with further three landing inside the Top 30. Two EP’s, ‘Sap’ and ‘Jar Of Flies’, were combined onto one CD in 1994 that gave the band its first US Number One, to which they’ll return with the self-titled album a year later.

Guitarist Jerry Cantrell and Staley formed the band in 1987, a glammster Diamond Lie, then F**k, that soon tuned into the grunge sound of the emerging Seattle scene, as Alice N’ Chains. Only five years after the debut ‘EP’ (1990, one of the tracks being titled ‘We Die Young’), the singer’s problems (drug issues) got so bad that disabled him from touring. He cut a decent album, ‘Above’, with members of Pearl Jam and Screaming Trees, as Mad Season in 1996.

Staley later collaborated with Tom Morello (of Rage Against The Machine) and members of defunct Porno For Pyros on a cover of Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick In The Wall’ for ‘The Faculty’ (1999) soundtrack. The ‘collaboration’ was achieved without Layne coming to the studio, as he preferred remaining out of, not only limelight, but sight. (The vocal was cut in a studio near his house because he was unwell and unwilling to travel anywhere.)

Layne Staley’s problems forced the AiC’s ‘vacation’ from live work and fans were deprived of one of the grunge’s leading triumvirate they ‘formed’ with Nirvana and Pearl Jam. When Cobain ended it all Staley was profoundly affected but no one ever mentioned him as a possible grunge-leader replacement; Eddie Vedder firmly withdrew his forced ‘candidacy’. Of all three frontman Staley appeared to be the most troubled and stopped touring with the band in the mid-1990s, only to get together for an ‘Unplugged’ concert and four support slots on the Kiss’ re-masked tour of 1996.

There is a song on the former band mate Cantrell’s second solo album (due out mid-June), ‘Degradation Trip’, entitled ‘Bargain Basement Howard Hughes’ that could well be about the errant frontman. There are also few other moments on the disc that recall the AiC’s glory days.

Alice In Chains visits to Europe were few and the last time I saw them was on 04 October 1993 at the Brixton Academy and it was — magic. For a glimpse of their show-power rent a copy of the ‘Singles’ film (dir. Cameron Crowe, 1991), starring Bridget Fonda and Matt Dillon, in which the band perform ‘Would?’.

The remaining members of Alice In Chains have issued a joint statement:

“It’s good to be with friends and family as we struggle to deal with this immense loss and try to celebrate this immense life. We are looking for all the usual things: comfort, purpose, answers, something to hold on to, a way to let him go in peace.

Mostly, we are feeling heartbroken over the death of our beautiful friend. He was a sweet man with a keen sense of humour and a deep sense of humanity. He was an amazing musician, an inspiration, and a comfort to so many. He made great music and gifted it to the world. We are proud to have known him, to be his friend, and to create music with him.

For the past decade, Layne struggled greatly — we can only hope that he has at last found some peace. We love you, Layne. Dearly. And we will miss you ... endlessly.”

Other artists have paid tribute to Staley. Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello reminisced about the singer: “Layne and I became good friends on the 1993 Lollapalooza tour. I will always remember him as the bright, funny and amazingly talented singer who got up there every hot summer day in a gorgeous suit and sang like an angry angel. We would laugh until we split our sides arguing about who was ‘more metal’. I hope now he is at peace.”

Ex-Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan added: “Layne had an amazing voice that had such a beautiful, sad, haunting quality about it. He was different because his heaviness was in that voice. I saw Alice In Chains at one of their final performances, opening for Kiss. They played outside in the sunshine, and they were awesome. I think that’s a good way to remember someone who will be missed.”

Bands that owe AiC a stylistic debt include Creed and Godsmack, who took their name from a Staley song about heroin. It can also be spotted that Nickelback have taken a page or two outta Staley’s book. Adema have started to gig AiC’s ‘Nutshell’ in tribute to Layne.

The coroner’s verdict: Layne Staley speedballed to oblivion

Alice In Chains singer Layne Staley died of an overdose of heroin and cocaine, an autopsy has determined. According to the local Seattle Times newspaper, an autopsy by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office cites his death occurred as a result of an “acute intoxication of the combined effects of opiates (heroin) and cocaine” on April 5.

The overdose is thought to be accidental; the frontman self-administered the fatal speedball. He wasn’t discovered until the 19th when police were called after nobody had seen the star for a number of weeks.