It took Layne Staley, Alice in Chains' lead singer, a while longer to kill himself with a speedball. I know Im dying, he starkly told Rubio. It was therapeutic and worked for me for a while, until my dad saw my picture printed on a magazine." Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro recently tweeted about late Alice In Chains frontman Layne Staley and Layne's girlfriend Demri Parrott, who died in 1996. I think theres always been a little bit of death trip element [and a] survivor element, DuVall told Rolling Stone. "Go f-----g do it now.". Neither Demri's mother nor Layne's stepfather have been able to confirm that. Its a very difficult thing to explain. This past Saturday was the 20th anniversary of the death of Demri Parrott, Layne Staley's ex-fiance. But he did take time to discuss his relationship with his biological father, saying he went off on a journey at age 16 to find his estranged dad, only to find out just enough regarding his father's lifestyle to give up the effort. Mainly, he holed up in his apartment, gaming, playing with his cat and doing drugs. If you are interested in promoting your band/music email altnationadvertising @gmail.com, Layne Staleys Haunting Wedding That Never Was Will Break Your Heart, Why Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers & Smashing Pumpkins Are Haunted By Ghosts, 10 Candidates To Fill In For Eddie Vedder On Temple of the Dog Tour, Adele Melts Down At Las Vegas Show In Photo, Jessica Simpson Is Exploding Out Of Top In Photo, Pearl Jam Member Reveals Truth About Tom Sizemore, Travis Scott Alleged Victim Leaks Hospital Video. Layne and Mike Starr were watching television on April 4, 2002, the day before Staley died of a heroin overdose. Dope sick hurts the entire body, he horrifyingly shared. "itemListElement": [ In a lawsuit filed after Staley's death, his mother, Nancy Layne McCallum, alleged that at one point in the mid-'90s, her son tried to withdraw from the band to take care of his issues, but Silver forcefully pointed out that if he did, he would be putting 40 people out of work. - WORLDWIDE:- Vimeo https://vimeo.com/ondemand/whatisclassicrock2Cheers,Daniel } }); Given the loss of Staley and lag time between records, Black Gives Way To Blue had no right being any good. "item": { Staley and Parrott were no longer together when she died; because she lacked Staley's rock-star bank account, Parrott was reduced to living out a conventional junkie death, finally prostituting. There will always be haters, he said in an interview with budZtv in 2010. googletag.cmd.push(function(){ "I know I'm dying," Staley is reported to have said. Black Gives Way to Blue consists of 11 tracks: All Secret Know, Check My Brain, Last of My Kind, Your Decision, A Looking in View, When the Sun Rose Again, Acid Bubble, Lesson Learned, Take Her Out, Private Hell, Black Gives Way to Blue.The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here consists of 12 tracks: Hollow, Pretty Done, Stone, Voices, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, Lab Monkey, Low Ceiling, Breath on a Window, Scalpel, Phantom Limb, Hung on a Hook, Choke.Rainier Fog consists of 10 tracks: The One You Know, Rainier Fog, Red Giant, Fly, Drone, Deaf Ears Blind Eyes, Maybe, So Far Under, Never Fade, All I Am.Boggy Depot (Jerry Cantrell solo record) consists of 12 songs: Dickeye, Cut You In, My Song, Settling Down, Break My Back, Jesus Hands, Devil by His Side, Keep the Light On, Satisfy, Hurt a Long Time, Between, Cold Piece.Degradation Trip Volumes 1 \u0026 2 (Jerry Cantrell solo double record) consists of 25 songs: (Volume 1) Psychotic Break, Bargain Basement Howard Hughes, Owned, Angel Eyes, Solitude, Mother's Spinning in Her Grave (Glass Dick Jones), Hellbound, Spiderbite, Pro False Idol, Feel the Void, Locked On, Gone. Still, obvious as it was, Staley got defensive when pressed about his habit, worried it would come to define him. Nevertheless, Alice In Chains has lived on like few bands of its time, and even in death Staley is still among the most vital singers youre likely to hear on the local modern-rock station. In 2005, Cantrell, Kinney and Mike Inez, who replaced Starr as bassist, reunited for a benefit concert. Mark Lanegan and Mike Inez also went to Laynes home and bang on his door trying to see him. { (Handout). She was born Feb. 22, 1969, in Bremerton. "item": { "He finally kicked heroin use, and I'm still fighting," the singer said. Clearly, Staley maintained some of what he learned in his religious upbringing, but he wanted nothing to do with the structures it forced him into. "@type": "BreadcrumbList", Some believe that that when Layne his ex Demri Parrott died in 1996 from Drug overdose, Layne never recovered from her death and probably what caused him to fall apart beyond repair with his drug using. .build(); Like lots of rock stars, Layne Staley didn't have the happiest, most stable upbringing. .addSize([990, 200], [[728, 90], [970, 90], [970, 250]]) He insisted he wanted to play down his addiction because he was worried that wearing it on his sleeve would turn fans on to drugs, which had gone from a fun hobby to a life-threatening burden. Demri Parrott Remembered. "Alice In Chains: The Untold Story" says the two met in 1988, before Alice in Chains blew up, and that it was "love at first sight." Demri Parrott - IMDb William DuVall later replaced Staley and Duff McKagan joined on rhythm guitar. Demri Parrott " Kinney recalls. The Book Of Rock Lists gave Aces death most spectacular distinction based on a piece of mistaken information, repeating the legend that the shadowy balladeer killed himself during a game of Russian roulette played backstage at the City Auditorium in Houston between holiday shows with Big Mama Thornton. "item": { { *Referenced briefly in "Don't Follow" ("Forgot my woman, lost my friends / Things I'd done and where I've been") *Referenced in "Again" ("Your weak will won't help her heal her heart") -- Demri was suffering from . She said she believes her daughter was there that night to be there with Layne as hes doing his transition., 10. But the loss still crushed him. The book says that former Alice bassist Mike Starr was visiting Staley the day before the singer's death. This portable projector plays your movies in crisp, high-contrast, 1080p detailno matter where you are. googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_content_3', [[336,280],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-5') Staley was found dead, toothless and weighing only 86 pounds, in his Seattle apartment in 2002. When I got there, Layne answered the door and he was back to the old Layne. Although he'd lived as a recluse for years, former Alice in Chains bassist Michael Starr who Diffuser says blamed himself for Staley's death claimed on an episode of "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew"that he was the last person to see Staley alive. Some of Staleys fans and friends blamed Demri for causing all these tragedies. Courtney Love, center, tried to chase down Staley following the death of Kurt Cobain (r.), to see if he might've known something about the mysterious circumstances surrounding Cobain's death. timeout: 2000 }, It certainly rejiggers the list: Guitarist Terry Kath of MOR jazz-rock band Chicago (as well as the city of Chicago) died under similar circumstances in 1978, holding a gun he thought was unloaded to his head and mistakenly offing himself in front of his wife and one of his stage crew members. "I'm not doing well," the singer said. { He had just gotten pretty much the entire Nerf arsenal, so we went to war. Demri Parrott had an encounter with Katina Bonita Evangeline (1991). About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Learn More{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. It cites reports of 76 crack cocaine-related deaths in 2002, up sharply from 46 the year before, and 80 opioid deaths compared to a milder 64 in 2001. schain: { According to "sources close to the band," Staley lost his 27-year-old ex-girlfriend, Demri Parrott, to a heroin overdose later that same year. .defineSizeMapping(mapping2) He thought it was very rock n roll, you know, Nowells widow Troy Dendekker said. "Demri was a fashion icon in the Seattle Grunge scene. Layne was even wearing a Metal Gear Solid video game shirt in his final public photo from Halloween 1998. He was 44 years old. It's hard enough to lose a child. .addService(googletag.pubads()); I didnt own the album because I didnt have to; if you spent time in a dorm in 1996 and 97, all you heard was Sublime, Odelay, and Dave Matthews Band. I hadnt seen him in a couple of years and wasnt prepared for it. A friend of hers said so and there's even an interview with Layne where he says Demri was pissed about it because it looked just like her when they could've just let her . She died in the hospital late in 1996. "@id": "https://www.alternativenation.net/category/rock/", Money goes to the Therapeutic Health Services (THS), which runs the Layne Staley Memorial Fund. The server responded with {{status_text}} (code {{status_code}}). "position": 4, "@id": "https://www.alternativenation.net/category/rock/deep-cuts/", The story of Sublime is one of the strangest and most tragic tales in all of 90s rock. Remembering Demri : r/AliceInChains - Reddit Guns not loaded, see? Tillman recalled Ace saying as he pointed it at his head and, with a smile, pulled the trigger. I'm telling you: Demri was here." Diffuser says that after they realized the singer hadn't spent money in a strange amount of time, Staley's mother gave the police permission to breach his door. In Greg Pratos Grunge is Dead, Laynes mother Nancy revealed that Layne was a video game freak. He had a big screen TV, 5 games 5 different gamers. Demri had a look that seemed to define the musical era, beautiful in a small-town way with her bright eyes, round cheeks, and curly hair. 9. Bob Forrest & John Frusciante Visited Laynes Home. "The opioid explosion in recent years tells me that people feel alone," she says. (1969-1996) model, artist, grunge icon, beautiful soul His comments given to Rubio show that Staley was aware that his mortality was on the horizon and had accepted his fate. He never made it, so Chris Cornell went and got the job.. But Staley, of course, never did. How close do you think that was to us, Ann? "item": { googletag.cmd.push(function(){ Much farther down on the most spectacular rock deaths list is Layne Staley of Alice In Chains. In a very real way, both men remain the most important members of their respective bands. This fucking drug use is like the insulin a diabetic needs to survive, he said. Gallagher had been friends with Staley since 1986, even living with him and Sleze bassist Mike Mitchell for a period in the 80s. And I thought, oh, for heaven sake, listen to his music. googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_anchor', [[728,90],[320,50]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-6') Thats terrible, Mom. My liver is not functioning and Im throwing up all the time and shitting my pants. They found the deceased singer sitting upright, surrounded by drugs and drug paraphernalia, cans of spray paint, spent needles, and unspent cash, all illuminated by a flickering TV. Demri Parrott probably is referenced in the most AIC songs that we know of: *Love, Hate, Love. Yes, Staley had been experiencing heroin addiction for years by the time this 1995 article which was titled "Alice In Chains' Layne Staley: Needle and Damage Done" came out. Courtney Love, center, tried to chase down Staley following the death of Kurt Cobain (r.), to see if he might've known something about the mysterious circumstances surrounding Cobain's death. Hes always been dead as far as most people are concerned. And as we're all aware, things have hardly improved in the decades since. Staley remembered, I was trying to kick this habit out of my life and here comes this man asking for money to buy some smack., He finally kicked heroin use, and Im still fighting, Staley said resentfully. A year after his death, a rare interview emerged with Staley that he'd given with Argentinean writer and music fan Adriana Rubio, titled Layne Staley: Angry Chair A Look Inside the Heart and Soul of an Incredible Musician. .addSize([0, 0], [[300, 250], [336, 280]]) An appearance at Cypress Hills Smokeout Festival followed in October, and the bands first tour commenced in April 2010. Its not AC/DC roaring back to life with Brian Johnson on Back In Black, but its not the embarrassment it seemed destined to be either. googletag.pubads().refresh(); . "item": { Topics 5. "I was trying to kick this habit out of my life, and here comes this man asking for money to buy some smack." .addService(googletag.pubads()); It seems strange, since Staley would, of course, go on to become one of the most noteworthy figures in a genre that would present itself as the antithesis of everything bands like Mtley Cre stood for. Sean Kinney, Layne Staley, Mike Starr and Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains during an In-Store record promotion in Los Angeles in September 1990. She will know it sooner or later. "item": { "I was about 20," he said, "and music became my only obsession to stay alive. googletag.enableServices(); But as far as the public was concerned, Staley lived out the rest of his doomed existence as the ghost of grunges skeezy past. Layne was very into his artwork during his later years, frequently buying art supplies that were scattered around his home. 4. "@id": "https://www.alternativenation.net/category/rock/deep-cuts/", googletag.pubads().disableInitialLoad(); { Well, what have you got? } He said he was going back to treatment and then going to LA to do the audition in a couple of months. ], I know I did my best or what I thought would be right. Is there a reason Layne Staley first got into heavy drug use? The difference on Black Gives Way To Blue was, as the title suggested, a shift in perspective. It was love at first sight. ] Sublime proved to be an ideal band for a generation that approached rock music with an irreverent, hip-hop-inspired sensibility. The show goes on, but Layne Staley and Bradley Nowell are still in the spotlight. "@id": "https://www.alternativenation.net/", googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_content_1', [[336,280],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-3') Ten weeks after Nowells funeral, Sublimes label, Geffen, went forward with plans to release the bands new record, though the original title, Killin It, was understandably ditched. I had the chance to throw out all this anger by the music in order to help others. Nowell was musically precocious as a child, able pick out a tune on his guitar after only hearing it once. Im not going to quit doing drugs. Its too late. Kaths death was good for only No. Zack de la Rocha had quit Rage Against The Machine just a few months prior, and his bandmates were looking for a new singer. His comments given to Rubio show that Staley was aware that his mortality was on the horizon and had accepted his fate. googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_anchor', [[728,90],[320,50]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-6') googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_top_1', [[300,250],[336,280],[728,90],[970,90],[970,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-1') That charity fights heroin dependency in the Seattle area. hp: 1, !function(a9,a,p,s,t,A,g){if(a[a9])return;function q(c,r){a[a9]._Q.push([c,r])}a[a9]={init:function(){q("i",arguments)},fetchBids:function(){q("f",arguments)},setDisplayBids:function(){},targetingKeys:function(){return[]},_Q:[]};A=p.createElement(s);A.async=!0;A.src=t;g=p.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];g.parentNode.insertBefore(A,g)}("apstag",window,document,"script","//c.amazon-adsystem.com/aax2/apstag.js"); But its a surprisingly decent addition to the Alice In Chains canon. Gaugh and Wilson tried as best as they could to capitalize on Sublimes unexpected and poorly timed success, signing a deal to release a series of archival records collecting early songs, outtakes, and remixes, starting with 1997s Second Hand Smoke. Over a torturously slow metal-blues riff, Staley denounces the hypocrite norm, running their boring drills, and commits himself to consuming whatever drugs are available to him. Layne Considered Sending A Demo To Jerry Cantrell. This idea was explored to an almost nauseating degree on 1992s Dirt, an unrelentingly grim collection of songs about how people should never, ever shoot heroin. Alice in Chains was opening for Van Halen on tour in 1991 when Staley, prompted by Parrott,. Demri Lara Parrott Murphy (February 22nd 1969 - October 29th 1996) was an American model, artist, and muse, and an amateur actress, girlfriend and later fiancee of Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley . I told him that John had gangrene once. The autopsy later revealed that the next day Staley plunged a speedball into his vein. The singers life was full of trauma, and drugs, at first, offered him an escape from his pain. Really.. While late Alice In Chains frontman Layne Staley was largely reclusive during his later years, the legendary singer considered fronting the band that later became known as Audioslave in January 2001, according to Staleys friend Morgen Gallagher, who talked to Alternative Nation in August 2015. What's not known is if they finally connected. Layne Thomas Staley wasn't born Layne Thomas Staley. According to Alice in Chains: The Untold Story, it was love at first sight. nodes: [ "I promised that I would always be there for my children," she said to TheSeattle Times. On the rare occasions that he ventured out of his home, where he gorged on videogames whenever he wasnt gorging on drugs, Staley cut a hard figure: Abscesses covered his arms, and hed lost most of his teeth. Demri Parrott - IMDb In 1993, when the band was touring in support of "Dirt," Staley would walk offstage midsong to get high. You and me., 7. Parrott had died in October 1996. But everyone starts somewhere. Menu. Next He was reporting on his own ongoing dissolution, giving the play-by-play on his soul being ripped away from him. "He was sort of a classic destroyer of hotel rooms.". I can get by without them. I know he was joking, but I dont like to hear stuff like that. } Layne and Demri. He seriously, seriously hated "Rutherford." Alice in Chains 'Dirt' Album Cover: The Story Behind It - Revolver }, Dirt by Alice in Chains - Songfacts Demri was born in Bremerton, Kitsap County, Washington, in the United States of America's Pacific Northwest. Dirt, in particular, became an important touchstone. Hed been dead for two weeks; the tip-off that something was amiss came not from concerned family members or friends but from Staleys accountants, who noticed that he hadnt spent any money in several days. "@type": "ListItem", Taproot were recording a new album with Alice In Chains producer Toby Wright in 2002, and wanted Layne Staley to sing on a song, according to Mark Yarms book Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge. Learn More{{/message}}. eyewitness account from Thorntons bassist Curtis Tillman. I did crack and heroin for years. The day of his death was estimated to be April 5, exactly eight years after Cobains suicide. They had chosen Kiana Lodge on Bainbridge Island as the wedding venue, thats why the private invitation-only memorial service for Laynes family and close friends was held there in 2002. Alice In Chains frontman Layne Staley and model Demri Parrotts relationship started as a fairytale but turned out a tragic love story that people can still remember. The specificity of Dirt is what makes the album so moving, and its the most obvious attribute separating Alice In Chains from the legion of bands that emerged to take its place after Staley slipped into permanent heroin hibernation. googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_top_1', [[300,250],[336,280],[728,90],[970,90],[970,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-1') According to Greg Pratos Grunge is Dead and Mark Yarms Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge, many of Laynes rocker friends refused to give up on him and still tried to see him during his reclusive years. I am interested in rock music, creative writing, drama, and yoga. I never wanted to end my life this way. Tough-guy posturing linked hip-hop with hard rock, and it would come to define the rap-rock hybrid that dominated mainstream rock radio in the late 90s. ,{ I wrote the following tweetstorm to remember her (and him) for the occasion: Most, if not all of that material was in my book, where Layne and Demri's relationship and her . Needless to say, we missed the game and kept pretty much everyone else from watching it as well., That day we were talking and he said he had gotten a call from the old Rage Against The Machine members and they were putting together a new project, and they wanted him to audition. Even sadder, Seattle Weekly says Staley's death contributed to the reversal of an encouraging decline in drug overdoses in the Seattle area. Staley spent the bulk of his childhood being raised by his mom, Nancy McCallum, and her second husband, Jim Elmer, who she met at a mutual friend's Christmas party, according to David de Sola. Just as Alice in Chains became famous, Staley's girlfriend, Demri Lara Parrott, introduced him to heroin. But having the circumstances of their death constantly rubbed in your face because so many others are experiencing addiction must be difficult. apstag.setDisplayBids(); googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_content_1', [[336,280],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-3') David de Sola writes that Staley would fly into a minor rage whenever someone referred to him by that name. var mapping2 = googletag.sizeMapping() "@type": "ListItem", Layne Went To A House Party And Hung Out With Ann Wilson, In the Heart book Kicking and Dreaming, Ann Wilson revealed that Layne attended a party at her home around 1999. "name": "Rock Features" By this point he had quit [Alice In Chains], he had lost most of his teeth, and weighed barley 100 pounds. At the time of his death in 2002, neither Kinney nor AIC guitarist Jerry Cantrell had spoken to Staley for more than two years. ver: '1.0', Dont try to talk about this to my sister Liz. According to this Alice In Chains interview with Rockline on July 19, 1999, Staley wrote the song "Get Born Again" to target what he saw as "religious hypocrisy." Perry Farrell and Kurt Cobain and all those guys did drugs, and Brad wanted to see what it was like. By the time Sublime was in the studio recording its self-titled third record, Nowell was in such rough shape that producer Paul Learyno stranger to substance abuse as a founding member of Butthole Surferssent him home before the record was completed. The two were allegedly watching a show called "Crossing Over," which is about a psychic medium that helps connect loved ones to deceased relatives. That model was to be Mariah O'Brien, whom Schenck had shot previously for the cover of Spinal Tap's "Bitch School" single. Kurt Cobain short-circuited death by heroin with a shotgun blast to the head in 1994. For what it's worth, Demri's mother believes Staley, although he was clearly affected by his drug use. "name": "Rock Features" "In 5thgrade, he [Staley] borrowed his Uncle Bob's trumpet, so that was his first instrument," said Nancy McCallum, Staley's mother, according to Northwest Music Scene. googletag.pubads().disableInitialLoad(); "I know I have no chance. She then ignored directions from the officer on the scene to stay outside, entered the house, and sat next to her son's body. On April 5, 2002, Layne Staley took a speedball a combination of cocaine and heroin and passed away (via Diffuser). He hadn't yet mastered singing high. Alternative Nation published a similar article in September 2014, but we are now publishing a new version with a couple of new stories. "name": "Deep Cuts" var mapping2 = googletag.sizeMapping() Do you think that almost hit us, Ann? "@context": "http://schema.org", FULL FILM: https://youtu.be/qMlLfrU5fjsAlice in Chains lineup throughout the Layne Staley era consisted of Layne Staley (87 - 98), Jerry Cantre. I'm Melisa. You're not wrong if you're picking up on a bit of resentment at the end there. Me? googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_sidebar_1', [[300,600],[300,1050],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-7') ", The Tragic Real-Life Story Of Layne Staley, this Alice In Chains interview with Rockline. How lucky are we to have seen that? Ann responded that it was beautiful, and Layne retorted, Do you have any idea how rare it is for a meteor that big, and that bright, to come that close to us? He was traveling with a bodyguard hired specifically to keep his drug use in check, but after the show he overdosed. The host focuses on a section of his studio `gallery and makes references to those who have `crossed over.He also conducts one-on-one sessions with audience members and celebrity guests., While watching Crossing Over, Layne turned to Mike and said, Demri was here last night. .addService(googletag.pubads()); "The same s--t was going on again.". But that was contingent on him having the energy and focus to be able to work, and I guess that didnt materialize., 5. I don't live his lifestyle, so his house isn't the healthiest place to be around. }); Layne Staley, Demri Parrott and Debbie Murphy at the Pantera show in the Mercer Arena, Seattle. Who doesnt want to go to a concert to hear their favorite songs, regardless of whos singing or whos playing it?