In October 1996, Staley's ex-fiancée, Demri Lara Parrott, died from complications caused by drug use. Her death made Staley even more depressed. He removed himself from the spotlight until he joined Alice in Chains at the Grammy Awards in 1997 after the song "Again" was nominated for "Best Hard Rock Performance". He recorded two songs for the Music Bank box set and producer Dave Jerden said that "Staley weighed 80 pounds…and was white as a ghost." 