Layne Thomas Staley was an American musician who served as the lead singer and co-songwriter of the rock band Alice in Chains, which he founded with guitarist Jerry Cantrell in Seattle, Washington in 1987. Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge move...
August 22, 1967, Kirkland, Washington, United States
Died
April 5, 2002, Seattle, Washington, United States
Place Of Birth
Kirkland
Height
6 ft (1.84 m)
Profession
Singer-songwriter, Musician, Lyricist
Education
Meadowdale High School
Nationality
United States of America
Parents
Nancy Staley, Phil Staley
Siblings
Ken Elmer, Elizabeth Audreyann Staley, Jamie Elmer
Nicknames
Staley, Layne , Layne T. Staley , Layne Elmer , Layne Thomas Staley , Alice
Music Groups
Alice in Chains (1987 – 2002), Mad Season (1994 – 1997), Alice Mudgarden, Class of '99 (1999)
Star Sign
Leo
#
Trademark
1
Raw edged vocals
2
Frequently wore sunglasses
#
Quote
1
I'm scared of death, especially death by my own hand. I'm scared of where I would go.
2
I didn't create myself, because I would have done a hell of a better job. (discussing religion)
3
Why do people keep taking drugs? Don't they hear my music? Don't they understand the words?
4
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 I didn't know him real well, but I just saw this real vibrant person turn into a real shy, timid, withdrawn, introverted person who could hardly get a hello out.
5
I wrote about drugs, and I didn't think I was being unsafe or careless by writing about them. I didn't want fans to think heroin was cool. But then I've had fans come up to me and give me the thumbs up, telling me they're high. That's exactly what I didn't want to happen.
6
There's no huge, deep message in any of the songs. It was just what was going on in my head right then. We had good times, and we had bad times. We recorded a few months of being human.
7
I've always looked for the perfect life to step into. I've done all the work, taken all the paths to get where I wanted. But no matter where I go, I still come home to me. At home I'm just Layne, a guy who has interests that extend far beyond music. Music is the career I'm lucky enough to get paid for, but I have other desires and passions.
8
That makes me sad for my friends who have taken their own lives, because I know that if your time is not finished here, and you end it yourself, then you gotta finish it somewhere else.
9
The only pressure this band will ever feel is living up to our own expectations.
10
My bad habits aren't my title. My strengths and talents are my title.
#
Fact
1
Despite a 10+ year collaboration as Alice in Chains, Layne was occasionally at odds with guitarist Jerry Cantrell. They disagreed on several things, including whether Alice in Chains should continue touring (which they had not done since 1996) and recording (other than two new songs in 1999, the band had not released an album since 1995). As a result, they stopped speaking to each other for a while. Despite the feud, Cantell decided not to continue Alice in Chains without Staley after he died. A reunion tour began in 2005 with various guest vocalist. In 2008 the band released Black Gives Way to Blue featuring William Duvall on vocals.
2
His last name is pronounced "stay-lee".
3
He was the lead singer for the grunge supergroup Mad Season, which featured members of Pearl Jam and Screaming Trees. Mad Season released their only album in 1995 called "Above", featuring the hit single "River of Deceit".
4
Managed to live to see his newborn nephew Oscar, who was born months before his death. Layne's mother reportedly owns the most recent photo of Layne holding his nephew.
He had a death similar to that of Kenny MacLean and Kurt Cobain in that nobody found him for 3 days.
7
In high school, Layne sang in a glam-rock band called "Alice N Chains." Upon the formation of the rejuvenated Alice in 1987, the group re-spelled it's name to Alice in Chains and adopted a heavier, metal-influenced sound.
8
Wrote about his struggles with heroin addiction in such songs as "Angry Chair", "Junkhead", and "God Smack."
9
It's believed he died on April 5, 2002. The autopsy report from the May 7, 2002, from the King County Medical Examiner's Office confirms that Staley died after injecting a "speedball", a mixture of heroin and cocaine. He had been dead for about two weeks when his body was discovered on April 19, and was surrounded by drug paraphernalia. His body was so decomposed when found that it was only identified as that of Layne Staley after a check of the dental records.
10
His long-time girlfriend (and former fiance) Demri Parrott died of untreated bacterial infection of the heart valves in October 1996.
11
He was the lead vocalist for alternative rock band Alice in Chains.
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
One Hit Wonderland
2012
TV Series documentary writer - 1 episode
Metal Evolution
2011
TV Series documentary lyrics - 1 episode
Cry Baby: The Pedal that Rocks the World
2011
Video documentary writer: "Man In The Box" - as Layne T. Staley
Funny People
2009
writer: "Man in the Box" - as Layne T. Staley
Idol
2004
TV Series writer - 1 episode
The Perfect Storm
2000
writer: "Man in the Box"
Alice in Chains: Music Bank - The Videos
1999
Video writer: "Man in the Box", "Angry Chair", "I Stay Away", "Again", "Get Born Again"
The Faculty
1998
performer: "Another Brick in the Wall, part II"
Marvin's Room
1996
writer: "Again" 1995
Unplugged
1996
TV Series documentary writer - 1 episode
The Epic of Detective Mandy: Book Four - Spoof of the Living Dead II
1995
TV Movie writer: "I Stay Away"
Lassie
1994
writer: "Man In The Box"
Dead at 21
1994
TV Series lyrics - 1 episode
Beavis and Butt-Head
1993
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Last Action Hero
1993
writer: "A Little Bitter"
Alice in Chains: Live Facelift
1991
Video documentary short writer: "Man in the Box", "Real Thing", "Love, Hate, Love", "Man in the Box Video"