Layne Staley lead singer of Alice In Chains was found dead by his mother and stepfather in his 5th Floor Condo at Grandview Plaza on April 20, 2002. His mother had called Seattle police to report that she had not heard from her son in over two weeks.
4528 8th Avenue NE, Unit: 5C
Seattle-University District, Wa. 98105
Seattle police went to Staley’s fifth-floor condo at about 5:40 p.m. Friday April 20th. They kicked in the door and Layne’s body was 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. His body was surrounded by various drug possessions and paraphernalia.
We found these photos from inside Staley’s condo and the living room (on the left) where he died on his couch.
The 6’1 Staley only weighed 86 pounds when his body was found and he had been dead for at least two weeks. The autopsy report later concluded that Staley died after injecting a mixture of heroin and cocaine known as a “speedball”. The King County Coroner’s Office estimated Staley to have died on April 5, 2002, exactly 8 years after his fellow musician and Washington native Kurt Cobain had died (Cobain was found three days later, on April 8).
UPDATE: The condo was recently put up for sale on May 17, 2014. Here are some updated photos of the living room where Staley passed away.
Throughout the band’s rise to fame, rumors of Layne’s heroin use were beginning to surface, and the band ended up cancelling a 1994 summer tour with Metallica after Layne began using heroin yet again after a 1993 stay in rehab.
Metallica Made Fun Of Alice In Chains Layne Staley Drug Problem…Tools, Classless, Douchebags, Etc….
Layne’s continued use of heroin was beginning to affect his ability to perform, so the band opted not to tour yet again in 1995. Alice in Chains came back into the spotlight on April 10, 1996 to perform on MTV’s Unplugged. Layne looked very pale and he kept his entire body covered, including his hands.
July 3, 1996 was Alice in Chains final performance with Layne at a show in Kansas City, Missouri. Here’s a clip from that final show.
In October of 1996, his fiancé Demri Parrott, died as a result of bacterial endocarditis, as she was also a heroin addict. Her death is considered to have pushed Layne over the final edge, as he then became a recluse in his own condominium. A painting of Demri and Layne was featured on the cover of the Mad Season album.
Mad Season “Above” Album Cover Based On Photo Of Layne Staley And Girlfriend Demri Parrott
In 2002, Staley’s mother, Nancy McCallum, and Jamie Richards, a drug and alcohol counselor, formed the Layne Staley Fund, a non-profit organization that raises money for drug treatment and works with the Seattle music community. It holds a yearly tribute on or around Staley’s birthday August 22.
layne was an amazing man,boy,guy, whatever his music wasnt pointless its not your everyday pimp, hoes , and bullshit it had soul!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
kudos! well put.
youre right… and words cannot even come close to describing what the voice of Layne Staley has done for us. He will be with us forever.
The lyrical work of Layne Staley has had a more profound impact on my 18 years of life than anything else that I have ever encountered. Rest in peace Layne.
only recently did I come upon alice in chains. my only wish is that layne was still writing and singing today.
Layne was a vanguard to those who didn't have a voice for their personal demons. He went into the abyss to see for all of us what was at the bottom and he came back garnered in silver and gold…an angel. R.I.P
JVN – Washington 22 January 2010
that is exactly right. im a pretty 13 yr old girl who is actually in real-life chains, no exaggerations or stretchings here…… I am the real-life girl in the box, and alice in chains has a voice for me……. besides the fact that they sound fuckin hot.
This story is well written, and with respect for Layne. Rest in peace Layne, I hope you are finally at peace.
Layne was an awsome musician, he had alot of heart and soul in his songs and you could tell it in the vocals he sang his heart out, as a fellow musician i try to do the same Layne was my idol him and the rest of Alice in chains are the reason im doing what i love…we will all miss his powerful songs god bless you Layne and family..
He had a unique voice ans singing style, and was an extremely charismatic performer. Sad he couldn't fight his demons. He will never be forgotten. Best male singer ever imho.
I wonder if rained when he died? Why do good musicians die at such an early age…
Good musicians die early so they can stay "good"…
ever seen some of the "comeback tours" from the old bands???? Sucks!!
Can you imagine if Jimi Hendrix played music through the 80's… just picture Hendrix jamming with cheesy synthesizer tones in the background, wearing a floppy pink pirate shirt, and eye makeup… Hendrix and Devo!!!
No thanks.
IMHO you’ve got the right asenwr!
Laynes music was so deep, anybody could listen to the words of his music and really appreciate how talented he was! Hands down the best in the business with making you feel the music or should I say his “pain”
Simply the deepest, baddest, most honest musician ever! Awesome lyrics-so real and truthful! Thanks Alice In Chains! R.I.P., Layne!
Layne staley wrote very little of aic lyrics.
Bob, you don't know what you are talking about. We all know that both Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell wrote lyrics for AIC songs. Who cares? To say that he wrote very little is not right though. The guy is dead and he never gets any of the credit he deserves.
Demri Parrott was not his fiancee/girlfriend when she died. She left him around 1994. That’s why you see his pictures (before she died), totally sad, depressed, lonely, hurt, etc. The song Lifeless Body of his other band Mad Season probably was meant to her. She broke his heart
JUST WONDERING
Is Layne about to shoot up in that photo where he is kissing with Demri?! I mean look at his right arm
I'm pretty sure the circles in the photos aren't for the couch – they supposedly show the dark blur where the photographer removed her purse from the photos (she had put it down while taking pics). I saw the posting from the photographer on a forum. And it was his bedroom that supposedly led to the deck, not the living room.
The circles don't show where the couch was, they're pointing out the dark blur left in the photos after the photographer removed her purse from the shots. I saw the original posting on a forum. And it was supposedly his bedroom that led out onto the deck (seen in the background), not his living room, which had the couch where he was found.
the GREATEST, MOST UNIQUE voice in the history of rock music. period.