the singer layne staley of alice in chains died on april 5, 2002.
the singer layne staley of alice in chains died on april 5, 2002.
when did the singer layne staley of alice in chains die?
april 5, 2002
cantrell was a close friend of late alice in chains' lead singer layne staley, who was described by cantrell as his best friend. staley died on april 5, 2002 at the same time of cantrell's "degradation trip" tour, but cantrell opted not to cancel any shows, stating, "it's difficult to do interviews - it's hard to talk about it [staley's death]. i'm just thankful to have a tour and work - something i can focus on." "the shows i played between the time i got the word about layne and layne's funeral were very important to me in terms of being able to continue on. it's one of those things where if you take a break and allow things to settle in, it might be harder to get up again." cantrell's manager at the time, bill siddons, said that jerry really loved layne and they had a bond he hadn't seen before. asked about staley's death in an interview with mtv in july 2002, cantrell said: "it's something i'm still dealing with, and i still think like he's here. i miss him tremendously. i love him and have to move on. i'll remember him and respect the memories of what we did together and just enjoy life... and that's all i'll say about it." william duvall, who performed staley's vocals during cantrell's solo concerts, elaborated on this emotional period saying: "i lost my grandfather in the same week, so cantrell and i both hit the road with immense personal losses dogging us. there were times on stage—there was one show in charlotte where it was just so heavy. i'm holding back tears onstage, and jerry would start crying onstage too a lot at that point, and a lot of times we would just look at each other when we were singing the stuff because it was the only way... it was heavy. i can't quantify it really in words."
jerry cantrell
layne staley: angry chair is a biography by adriana rubio about layne staley, the lead vocalist of the rock band alice in chains, published in january 2003. as it is known, the book "layne staley: angry chair — a look inside the heart and soul of an incredible musician" written by adriana rubio (argentinean journalist and a fan of alice in chains), features 50 pages of photos of staley's art work, sketches, diary entries, and childhood pictures. it also contains an alleged last interview of staley that rubio claimed that she conducted less than three months before he died from an overdose of heroin and cocaine, in april 2002. rubio did extensive interviews with staley's mother, nancy layne mccallum, and his sister, liz (née elmer) coats, to write the book. it is named after one of alice in chains' famous songs "angry chair".
layne staley: angry chair