7/19/94. "I'm not doing well," the singer said. Layne told Wright, Wow, I get to perform again. Wright was preparing to fly up to Seattle to prepare the studio for Laynes return to recording when he got the called that he had died. "@id": "https://www.alternativenation.net/category/rock/", Still, its the brand name that puts butts in the seats, and Alice In Chains has drawing power; Black Gives Way To Blue sold 126,000 copies its first week, good for a Billboard debut at No. 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. Alice in Chains was opening for Van Halen on tour in 1991 when Staley, prompted by Parrott,. apstag.init({ Ill look at the coke-fueled disaster of Oasis misbegotten epic Be Here Now, and the unlikely triumph of Radioheads dystopian prog-rock masterpiece OK Computer. { Next I know I made a big mistake when I started using this shit. Following his death in 2002, Screaming Trees frontman told Rolling Stone, He never recovered from Demris death. I hadnt seen him in a couple of years and wasnt prepared for it. Staley sound-alikes became so common in the years after his public retreat and death that it was perhaps inevitable that one of them ended up replacing him in his own band. Starr was likely the last one to see him alive. He was supposed to record guest vocals for a song by Taproot, but his body was found shortly before a recording session was set to take place. sid: '1366', Very little is known of Demri Parrott, except that she was practically worshiped by her fianc, Layne Staley. googletag.cmd.push(function() { On one hand, the two bands got up to some hilarious business pranking each other. 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. The story of his decline began on July 3, 1996, after Staley left the stage following a warm-up set for KISS. Search for Bradley Nowell videos on YouTube and youll find a smattering of interview clips recorded a year or so before he died. Layne and Mike Starr were watching television on April 4, 2002, the day before Staley died of a heroin overdose. My strengths and my talent are my title," he said. His father was six years clean when they rekindled their relationship, but he soon started using again, and the two of them were getting high together. Guns not loaded, see? Tillman recalled Ace saying as he pointed it at his head and, with a smile, pulled the trigger. It's the worst pain in the world. She was adopted by her stepfather Stephen John Parrott. Forrest had gained a reputation at the time as being someone who could communicate with addicts, he had helped Frusciante get clean in 1997. Just as Alice in Chains became famous, Staley's girlfriend, Demri Lara Parrott, introduced him to heroin. "@id": "https://www.alternativenation.net/", 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. She was the fiance of musician Layne Staley. But Staley wouldnt see or talk to his bandmate. Starr left Staley's place later that day. She died in the hospital late in 1996. 99 talking about this. "I believe that there's a wonderful place to go to after this life, and I don't believe in eternal damnation for anyone," he said to Rolling Stone in 1996. "@type": "ListItem", There were times where someone had to go into the bathroom to see if Brad was still alive, Leary told Rolling Stone. Staley erupted, then yelled at him whenever he tried to take more pills. Thats terrible, Mom. 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. The group didnt release another album with Staley following their eponymous third studio album in 1995, which gave Alice In Chains their first number one record in the United States. And then, our neighbor sold him a drum set, and he changed his middle name to Thomas, because he admired Tommy Lee.". Whats going on. Sublime proved to be an ideal band for a generation that approached rock music with an irreverent, hip-hop-inspired sensibility. 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. This past Saturday was the 20th anniversary of the death of Demri Parrott, Layne Staley's ex-fiance. Demri was passionate about many things and excelled in art and theater. !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"); So two weeks later [our mutual friend] was having a Super Bowl party. Trending. She also created a path for herself as a model, artist, muse, and actress who died of a drug overdose on October 29, 1996, at the age of 27. At his side are two beautiful women, looking at him adoringly. He'd been dead for weeks, still cradling a full syringe of heroin. Back in those days, the band lived in abject poverty, "obsessed with getting p---y and who they were f-----g.". ", It's hard to tell if Staley would agree or disagree with his mom's take. { adServer: 'googletag', "@type": "ListItem", } Addiction was a constant throughout Staleys short life, which he tried his hardest to break out from but sadly didnt make it, and his music serves as a memory of his distinct talent. Befitting a band that preferred to work spontaneously and under the influence of strong substances, Sublime is a spotty, erratic record, with more dead ends and half-formed ideas than successes. The server responded with {{status_text}} (code {{status_code}}). (Volume 2) Castaway, Chemical Tribe, What it Takes, Dying Inside, Siddhartha, Hurts Don't It? Demri Lara Parrott, 27, of Bremerton died Oct. 29, 1996, at Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland. .addService(googletag.pubads()); For what it's worth, Demri's mother believes Staley, although he was clearly affected by his drug use. "name": "Rock Features" It's known that Parrott was upset about the situation because Parrott herself was an aspiring model and actress. As an act of first-person journalism from the depths of hell, Dirt has few equals in rock history. Meanwhile, Starr, who'd been introduced to heroin by Staley, drank a bottle of bleach used for cleaning syringes, thinking it was water. "@type": "WebPage", Its a very difficult thing to explain. sid: '1366', It was love at first sight. He was 44 years old. var mapping2 = googletag.sizeMapping() "@type": "WebSite", ver: '1.0', It took Layne Staley, Alice in Chains' lead singer, a while longer to kill himself with a speedball. The most disturbing song on Dirt is Junkhead, co-written by Staley and Cantrell. Rumors began circulating that he had lost an arm to gangrene. 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. Yes, Staley, born Layne Rutherford Staley on August 22, 1967, picked the middle name "Thomas" because he was a fan of Mtley Cre drummer Tommy Lee. apstag.setDisplayBids(); "item": { { {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}Your submission failed. Can you try to talk sense to him?, Forrest agreed to, and he and Frusciante visited Staley at his Seattle condo. (Rolling Stone later noted that the heroin-related death of touring Smashing Pumpkins keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin that July garnered more coverage than Nowells death.) What's not known is if they finally connected. Layne was very into his artwork during his later years, frequently buying art supplies that were scattered around his home. 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. It was Brads expressed intention that no one use the name Sublime in any group that did not include him, the family said, and Brad even registered the trademark Sublime under his own name. A subsequent lawsuit forced Gaugh and Wilson to tour as Sublime With Rome, but in the end they won out over Nowells family where it mattered, finally having the ability to play for the millions of people who bought Sublime records in the years after Nowells death. Formed in 1988, Sublime made its name by playing surf towns up and down the California coast, honing a feel-good blend of punk, hip-hop, and ska informed by Nowells multicultural upbringing in Long Beach. Layne didnt get in, but sat in a chair sipping a beer. The frontman was fighting his addiction and wanted to get clean many times by entering rehabs or finding other ways to live a healthier life, however, he died due to a speedball overdose on April 5, 2002. Tom Morello later claimed that he had no recollection of ever speaking to Staley about auditioning for Audioslave, so this could be a case of Gallagher misremembering the conversation, and it having more been about Staley considering the idea of calling up the former Rage Against The Machine members. .addSize([748, 200], [[728, 90]]) She did not use heroin until with him. 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 Was Going To Record With Taproot In 2002. Alice In Chains 2.0 became a band with two lead singers, with Cantrell frequently dueting with DuVall or taking lead vocals on his own. It was later reported that the shooter believed that Pantera was reading his mind, which suggests that the famously affable Abbott was perhaps too good at connecting with fans. We may earn a commission from links on this page. 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. If its coming from someone, not in her obit or living in Seattle its probably not true and can certainly be verified through one of them. "name": "10 Surprising Stories About Layne Staley’s Reclusive Years" "position": 4, "@type": "WebPage", .addSize([748, 200], [[728, 90]]) "@type": "ListItem", .addSize([0, 0], [[300, 250], [336, 280]]) googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_top_1', [[300,250],[336,280],[728,90],[970,90],[970,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-1') But those successes, which include singles like What I Got and Santeria frontloaded in the first half of the record, made Sublime a leftfield and shockingly prescient smash, predicting and capitalizing on musical trends that were just taking hold when Nowell died. The end everyone saw coming had finally arrived. But this version of AIC is an appreciably different band; many things can be said of Layne Staley, but Morgan Freeman-esque is not one of them. 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. Mike Starr said he was going to be best man at Layne and Demri's wedding. Demri Parrott probably is referenced in the most AIC songs that we know of: *Love, Hate, Love. However, she goes on to say that her late son was "shocked to find that God isn't going to dig you out of every tunnel that you put yourself in to. Tillman claimed that Ace had been drinking heavily and goofing around when he picked up the pistol. Brown heroin stains led from the bathroom to the living room. "@id": "https://www.alternativenation.net/category/rock/deep-cuts/", Demri Parrott died on October 29, 1996. Staley sightings became increasingly rare, and rumors circulated that the singer was wasting away in his Seattle apartment, doing nothing but drugs, painting, and playing video games to pass the time. 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. Pop culture obsessives writing for the pop culture obsessed. adServer: 'googletag', ,{ googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_sidebar_1', [[300,600],[300,1050],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-7') I dont give a fuck if you fucking believe me or not, dude. Bob Forrest & John Frusciante Visited Laynes Home. Staley and Parrott met in 1988 while she was working at a store called Saturdays. "position": 1, In 1993, when the band was touring in support of "Dirt," Staley would walk offstage midsong to get high. She was the biological daughter of Kathleen Ann ne Austin and . ROCK IS DEAD? At one point, Staley was even informed that his old man had passed away, although this wasn't true. }); Layne: Nothing. According to David de Sola's book Alice In Chains: The Untold Story, Layne Staley believed that the ghost of his late girlfriend Demri Parrott visited him just days before his April 2002 death.. You and me., 7. } .addSize([0, 0], [[320, 50]]) .addService(googletag.pubads()); 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. apstag.fetchBids({ The engagement was called off, but she did pick out a dress. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Alice In Chains frontman Layne Staley and model Demri Parrott's relationship started as a fairytale but turned out a tragic love story that people can still remember. Nowells music was divorced from the deadly serious alternative music that had been the norm for the early part of the 90s; Sublime pointed the way to a new kind of mainstream rock that had the aggression and energy of punk and none of the underground pretension or anti-corporate ideology. (Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage). Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. } Soon, even bands directly inspired by early-90s bands would conveniently set aside the feminist idealism those groups were known for in favor of an unapologetically assertive masculinity that was both reactionary to recent rock history and restorative of the old status quo. In fact, it was his accountants who first noticed something might've been up. He never recovered from Demris death. Im just a singer. Do you think that almost hit us, Ann? Layne Considered Sending A Demo To Jerry Cantrell. Mark Lanegan and Mike Inez also went to Laynes home and bang on his door trying to see him. The singers life was full of trauma, and drugs, at first, offered him an escape from his pain. Then, two things changed. Demri Parrott was engaged to Layne Staley (1992 - 1994). I'm Melisa. .addService(googletag.pubads()); asi: 'theadengine.com', From the start of Dirt, youre trapped in Staleys skin, and for the next 50 minutes there will be no escape. Ive never heard someones voice hit the tape like that. googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_top_2', [[336,280],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-2') Where some of the records might have been more Scarface, this one is more Shawshank Redemption.. "@type": "ListItem", For the first time, there were problems with his vocals. Then he relapsed again. "Then, our family friend Fred loaned him a drum set, and he loved the drums. People Projects Discussions Surnames By 1998, Staley already seemed on last legs. googletag.pubads().disableInitialLoad(); "When I tried drugs, they were f****** great, and they worked for me for years," he said. Alice In Chains: The Untold Story author David de Sola shared some information with Alternative Nation about the wedding that never came to be between Staley and Parrott, and how the planned site of the wedding eventually was where a much sadder event took place. 5. Money goes to the Therapeutic Health Services (THS), which runs the Layne Staley Memorial Fund. schain: { "Since that call I always was wondering, 'Where is my dad?' Along with Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains was a primary grunge-era influence on the post-grunge bands that ruled modern-rock radio from the late 90s onward. Rare pictures show her to be dark-featured and pretty, with long black hair and dark eyes. in 1998 that he and the other guys in Alice frequently hung out with Staley at his place, playing video games and having a grand old time. If you have a better quality version of this photo please send it! Kinney, though, continued to have fun the old-fashioned way on the Shi--y Cities tour in 1992. He hadn't yet mastered singing high. Nancy responded, Laynes got an odd sense of humor. "I was trying to kick this habit out of my life, and here comes this man asking for money to buy some smack." Demri Lara PARROTT Left this world October 29, 1996; born in Bremerton, Wa, on Feb 22, 1969 and attended school in Arlington. Demri Parrott had an encounter with Katina Bonita Evangeline (1991). 6. Less sympathetic listeners might dismiss Junkhead as the empty lamentation of a rock-star addict, but Staley wasnt looking for pity. Self: 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. He would never perform with Alice In Chains again. 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. On top of this, Staley had lost his ability to ingest food and survived off supplements for the last few years of his life. They began dating a short time after they saw each other. On the other, Staley's affair with heroin got serious fast. I just believe that I'm not the greatest power on this earth. "item": { Harder still,Nancy McCallumtold The Seattle Times that she still gets flooded with emails and letters from people all over who are experiencing addiction or love someone who is. The pain is more than you can handle. If you are interested in promoting your band/music email altnationadvertising @gmail.com, 10 Surprising Stories About Layne Staleys Reclusive Years, Why Stone Temple Pilots May Not Make Rock Hall of Fame (But Should), Dave Grohl Reveals Parallels Between Kurt Cobain & Amy Winehouse, 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. "@type": "WebPage", googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; 5. "I know I have no chance. Demri Parrott was famous for being the ex-fiancee of Alice in Chains frontman, Layne Staley. In 2011, at the age of 44, he too died of an overdose, as per Rolling Stone. Layne Thomas Staley, singer-guitarist, born August 22 1967; died before April 19 2002. He never made it, so Chris Cornell went and got the job.. googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_anchor', [[728,90],[320,50]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-6') "I don't give a f*** if you f****** believe me or not, dude. I dont go broke, and I do it a lot. Even as his habit kept Alice In Chains off the road and out of the studio, Staley still had more than enough money to ensure that hed always have a steady supply of the substances he craved. timeout: 2000 }, Demri was born in Bremerton, Kitsap County, Washington, in the United States of America's Pacific Northwest. 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. That night, Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr, who had just been tossed from the band, claimed he actually died and came back as he bounced from shooting up with one famed musician to the other. But when the band was recording in Los Angeles during the Rodney King riots in 1992, Staley would hit the scary streets, desperate to score.