Sheersho Zaman
April 5th 1994 marked the passing of perhaps one of the most popular rock icons to grace this planet, Curt Cobain. He left this life after suffering a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Cobain’s passing came at a time that could be considered the peak of Nirvana’s popularity and his demise left the world in a sort of devastation similar to that during the passing of presidents and influential celebrities. For the people in their early 20s or in their teen years, the death of Cobain was akin to losing a parent or a close family member. Millions related to and were inspired by the gifted artist and that is felt to this day when billions mourn his passing on his death anniversary.
In 2002, another grunge icon met his maker on the same day of April 5th, and unfortunately, his passing is a little less remembered. Lane Staley, front-man of Alice in Chains, was one of the major contributors to the Grunge-rock movement and was perhaps one of the more unique of the grunge vocals, this too when all the Eddie Verders and Cobbains were his immediate competition. He unfortunately became too dependent on heroin to see his own self-worth and importance in the scene and overdosed. Alice in Chains had dense, rough metal-influenced riffs that were complemented by soaring vocals and this paved the way for a new style of grunge that arguably became even more influential for the hard rock scene in the coming years than the style introduced by Nirvana.
Staley was a natural vocal, showing charisma and singing with a voice that had raw emotion beyond anything else. That was also backed by a sense of self-loathing, perhaps caused by his insecurity and drug dependency. Though Staley was not the only member of Alice in Chains who was into drugs, it was his addiction that cost the band the ability to tour. Even after the band released their brilliant third self-titled album in 1995, they could not go on tour to support the disc.
Although Staley never officially left Alice in Chains, his addiction made him a recluse and as the years went on, in the words of Neil Young, Staley would “fade away” in the eyes of the public.
Some thought that the singer’s death was inevitable. Staley, in his final years, would avoid the media and rarely leave his home. He was found dead in his condominium on April 19, two weeks after overdosing. His mother and stepfather became worried when they were told that Staley had stopped withdrawing money from his bank account. They then called the police, who broke in to his home and found his dead body.
Alice in Chain fans were undeniably distraught at the news of Staley’s passing, though despite his enormous contributions to grunge music, the media only paid a fraction of attention to Staley’s death, in comparison to Cobain’s. A few called it a self-fulfilling prophecy, while others say he burned out and faded away. Interestingly though, Cobain himself was also a drug addict and yet many who considered Cobain a “victim”, or at the very least, a tragic figure, called Staley a hopeless junkie.
And such was Layne Staley’s life, mostly to be remembered as a “hopeless junkie” by the masses. But if one would tune in to the old records of the band, one can easily see how he was so much more. His legacy, his music, was so much more.