Body found in home may be that of Alice in Chains singer

Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | Saturday, April 20, 2002 | CANDACE HECKMAN

[ValerieUSA]

A body was found Friday at the University District home of Layne Staley, the lead singer of the seminal Seattle grunge band Alice in Chains.
Law enforcement sources said the body was Staley's, but would not give specifics and referred all questions to police spokesmen -- who did not return repeated calls for comment.
According to the Seattle Fire Department's dispatch log, an aid response was called to Staley's last known address in the 4500 block of Eighth Avenue Northeast in the University District, a section of the city where many boarding homes are located.
The Medical Examiner's office said late last night that they responded to a call at Staley's address and found someone who appeared to have been dead for several days.
They have not officially identified the person.
Staley, 34, wrote lyrics that dealt with the darkness of his struggle with heroin abuse.

Alice in Chains' debut album, "Facelift," was released in 1990 and the group quickly rose to prominence along with other bands from the tight-knit local music community like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden; one of Pearl Jam's first shows was as an opening act for Alice in Chains.
In 1992, the group released its critically acclaimed album "Dirt," which featured the hit singles "Would?" and "Rooster." The band distinguished itself from its Seattle peers with a hard, morbid sound, and Staley's music often touched on drugs.

According to a fan Web site, Staley was born in 1967 in Kirkland.
The first instrument he played was the drums at the age of 12. He later played in different bands around Seattle.
At a party in 1987, Staley met Jerry Cantrell, who introduced him to Mike Starr (bass) and Sean Kinney (drums).
They decided to start a band and Alice In Chains was born.

In a 1996 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Staley spoke of how his drug use influenced his lyrics.
"I wrote about drugs, and I didn't think I was being unsafe or careless by writing about them," Staley told the magazine. "Here's how my thinking pattern went: When I tried drugs, they were (expletive) great, and they worked for me for years, and now they're turning against me -- and now I'm walking through hell, and this sucks."
In the same article, he said: "I'm gonna be here for a long time. I'm scared of death, especially death by my own hand. I'm scared of where I would go. Not that I ever consider that, because I don't."
Staley told the magazine he did not want to be seen as a rock god or martyr.
"I saw all the suffering that Kurt Cobain went through. I didn't know him real well, but I just saw this real vibrant person turn into a real shy, timid, withdrawn, introverted person who could hardly get a hello out ... At the end of the day or at the end of the party, when everyone goes home, you're stuck with yourself."

TIMELINE
EARLY 1987 -- Alice in Chains forms in Seattle.
APRIL 1989 -- After being pursued by several record companies, the band signs with Columbia Records.
AUGUST 1990 -- Alice in Chains' debut album, "Facelift," is released. Song "We Die Young" becomes top 5 metal track.
DECEMBER 1990 -- Band sells out Moore Theater in Seattle.
JANUARY 1991 -- Band nominated for American Music Award; makes move debut playing part of sleazy bar band in Cameron Crowe's film "Singles."
AUGUST 1991 -- Alice in Chains makes national network TV debut on ABC.
MARCH 1992 -- Band plays Seattle host on "Entertainment Tonight" and takes viewers on tour of Seattle's music scene -- pool halls, rocks clubs and other revered dens of decadence.
SEPTEMBER 1992 -- "Dirt" is released. Written entirely by the band, the album paves a grim descent into a private hell.
NOVEMBER 1995 -- "Alice in Chains" debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.
SEPTEMBER 1996 -- Band is nominated for best hard rock video at the MTV Music Video Awards.

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

When I tried drugs, they were (expletive) great, and they worked for me for years, and now they're turning against me -- and now I'm walking through hell, and this sucks."

If drugs were legal they wouldn't turn against him. His life would have been a walk amongst the daisies.

[ValerieUSA]

I wonder if Courtney Love will be blamed for this death.

Seattle is a heroin city - most of the abusers' deaths do not make the news - but they all should.

[Kevin Curry]

If drugs were legal they wouldn't turn against him. His life would have been a walk amongst the daisies.

As I understand the libertarian argument, if heroin had been legal he would have never tried it in the first place. Liberfoolians never tire of telling us that people are driven to use drugs because of the exciting "risk" factor associated with defying societal standards. Somehow it adds to the drug high and makes it worth pursuing at all costs.

So, the argument goes, if we were to make milk illegal and heroin legal, all the grunge rockers would jettison the heroin and start chugging gallons of Grade "A" homogenized 4 percent "moo" on stage and walking around wearing white mustaches, perhaps even dying of lactose intolerence-related causes from milk overdoses.

It's the sort of argument that sells well to the junior high set and other immature minds.

[Cultural Jihad]

Giddy with the excitement of possibly getting caught,
Jennifer Jones slugs a moo.
Why won't she keep to healthy nouns, such as heroin?

[damnlimey]

Go figure,a conservative forum is the only site where the posters are not saying good riddance.
A.I.C. were easily one of the best bands of the '90's,if the reports turn out to be true Layne will be sadly missed.
No more Mad Season either,bummer.
Anyone have any confirmation on this yet.

[Commander8]

He who lives by the needle, dies by the needle.

[flying Elvis]

"The Rooster" is one of my favorite tributes to the American soldier in Vietnam.

[Tennessee_Bob]

I caught you knockin' at my cellar door
"I love you, baby, can I have some more"
Ooh, ooh, the damage's done.

I hit the city and I lost my band
I watched the needle take another man
Gone, gone, the damage's done.

I sing the song because I love the man
I know that some of you don't understand
Milk-blood to keep from running out.

I've seen the needle and the damage done
A little part of it in everyone
But every junkie's like a settin' sun.

[ValerieUSA]

KING5-TV in Seattle confirms it: Alice in Chains lead singer found dead in Seattle home
SEATTLE - Layne Staley, lead singer and guitarist for the Seattle grunge band Alice in Chains was found dead in his Seattle apartment Friday. Medical examiners are trying to determine if Staley’s struggle with drugs may have led to his death.
Police were called to Staley’s University District apartment Friday afternoon in the heart of the University District. Inside they found a body, apparently dead for several days.

[damnlimey]

Dammit,
R.I.P.Layne you'll be sadly missed.
May you now find the peace you failed to find in life.

[tdadams]

Yes, it's him. It was confirmed not long ago according to dental records. I'm really not surprised. My former career was in the music biz and I'd heard from associates who worked in that genre that Staley was the Howard Hughes of the music biz, just holing up and killing himself slowly.

[tdadams]

You just can't resist making a fool of yourself can you? You are perpetually, and I believe deliberately, confused about libertarian philosophy. Do yourself a favor and quit commenting on things you know absolutely nothing about.

You're a perfect example of that old saying, "better to keep you mouth shut and have everyone thing you're stupid than to open it and prove your stupidity beyond a doubt."

[lucyblue]

May his soul find peace.

[whitedevil]

Man, that's horrible. Yet another heroin death. And all this time I was holding on to the hope that they'd get back together.

Well, at least Scott Weiland kicked the habit finally, so the Stone Temple Pilots aren't going away!

[Drew68]

Dammit,
R.I.P.Layne you'll be sadly missed.
May you now find the peace you failed to find in life.

Well said.

[ValerieUSA]

His body decomposed in his little apartment for two weeks surrounded by heroin paraphernalia before a relative checked on him and made the gruesome discovery. Does this say anything about the quality of friends one makes in the grunge "community"?