Although they were no longer together, Staley was clearly devastated by the news. Sublime was a band for working-class people who could reconcile the casual bleakness of the lyrics of a song like Wrong Waya cheery ditty about an underage hookerwith the dance-happy music. When [Dirt] came out, the thing did not leave my CD player, Godsmack singer Sully Erna told Cross in Rolling Stone. 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. That was the last time Staley would do a major tour. "I'm not doing well," the singer said. "name": "10 Surprising Stories About Layne Staley’s Reclusive Years"
5. She also has Demris engagement ring that Layne gave her. He was traveling with a bodyguard hired specifically to keep his drug use in check, but after the show he overdosed. So two weeks later [our mutual friend] was having a Super Bowl party. Parrott, too, was a heavy drug user and fatally overdosed on October 29, 1996. I didn't want my fans to think that heroin was cool.". "I got [a] call saying that my dad had died, [but] my family always knew he was around doing all kind of drug,"he's quoted as saying in the book. I dont give a fuck if you fucking believe me or not, dude. Hide the drugs!' 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. The difference on Black Gives Way To Blue was, as the title suggested, a shift in perspective. For the first time, there were problems with his vocals. .addService(googletag.pubads()); Dope sick hurts the entire body, he horrifyingly shared. schain: { 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. Staley was on the sofa, illuminated by a flickering television. 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. "When Sean got lit he was pretty unstoppable," a friend says. Sublime proved to be an ideal band for a generation that approached rock music with an irreverent, hip-hop-inspired sensibility. After a year in stores, it was selling 50,000 copies a week, eventually going on to sell 6 million. When Nowell finally pushed his luck with heroin too far in a San Francisco hotel room on May 25, 1996, his band wasnt yet famous enough to warrant much media attention for the tragedy. 4. Would you agree, because I kind of would after reading from many of the fan theories? "They were obviously coked out because they (the strippers) started b----ing up one side and down the other to the point where Layne actually told them to shut up because they were making it worse than it needed to be," according to one observer. He struggled with addiction for much of his life, and as Steven Hyden of the A.V. After that, I dont think he wanted to go on.. .defineSizeMapping(mapping2) However, they decided to break up after a few years while people were waiting for an announcement about their wedding. Kinney, though, continued to have fun the old-fashioned way on the Shi--y Cities tour in 1992. And then, our neighbor sold him a drum set, and he changed his middle name to Thomas, because he admired Tommy Lee.". According to a transcript of a 2002 Rolling Stone article, Layne Staley spent the final years of his life in reclusive isolation, with nothing but his drugs to keep him company. 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? Demri Parrott was in relationships with Rosheen Raugi (1993 - 1996), Kent Lake (1988), Paul Uhlir (1987 - 1989) and John Baker (person) (1984). This portable projector plays your movies in crisp, high-contrast, 1080p detailno matter where you are. He had already lost a finger or two from his veins collapsing and not getting enough circulation to his hands I remember seeing him from a distance, and I thought, Thats the oldest punk rocker Ive ever seen., Flash back about 15 years, and Staley is a dramatically different, happier, and more spandex-friendly person. }); Im not doing well. 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 . Cantrell recalled to Charles R. Cross of Rolling Stone how he met his lead singer: Its a Seattle party, and Staley is standing in the middle of it all, his hair dyed a bright glam-rock pink and teased with a hair clip atop his tiny frame. Demri was born in Bremerton, Kitsap County, Washington, in the United States of America's Pacific Northwest. ,{
He said, In his arm? googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; 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. During those years, Staley became a recluse and barely left his apartment. }
He had just gotten pretty much the entire Nerf arsenal, so we went to war. Frusciante was hesitant to visit Staley because he didnt think you could really preach to somebody about getting clean, but Forrest was adamant about trying to help him. Dont try to contact any AIC (Alice in Chains) members. By 1998, Staley already seemed on last legs. 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. Dope sick hurts the entire body. I never wanted to end my life this way. That version of the band still records and performs. 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. What's not known is if they finally connected. "item": {
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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. Staley was playing video games while they talked, and pretended to listen according to Forrest. Demri Lara Parrott Murphy (February 22nd 1969 - October 29th 1996) was an American model, artist, and muse, and an amateur actress, girlfriend and . Dirt, in particular, became an important touchstone. Also, demri never got sober, so, all the times layne was in rehab, demri was still using heroin, which wasn't very helpful. 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. Staleys method of killing himself was slower and more painful, but ultimately no less effective. Staley's final public performance was in Kansas City, Mo., in 1996. Moreover, its been claimed that Layne Staley didnt want to live after losing a beloved even if their relationship ended. RIP Layne and Demri.. In a very real way, both men remain the most important members of their respective bands. She was born Feb. 22, 1969, in Bremerton. 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. For what it's worth, Demri's mother believes Staley, although he was clearly affected by his drug use. The couple got engaged in 1992 and their friends and family thought that they would tie the knot and live happily ever after. Forrest recalls the story in his book Running with Monsters: A Memoir. According to Alice in Chains: The Untold Story, it was love at first sight. {
So it is that Alice in Chains, with its influential blend of heavy metal and grunge, which plays on. 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. There were times where someone had to go into the bathroom to see if Brad was still alive, Leary told Rolling Stone. Demri Parrott died on October 29, 1996. The most disturbing song on Dirt is Junkhead, co-written by Staley and Cantrell. .addService(googletag.pubads()); Layne: Im okay, though. pubID: '434bb5e4-3704-4b75-b36c-785a444462bd', ", "I think people would be surprised that he [Staley] was raised in the Christian Science Sunday School for twenty years," his mother, Nancy McCallum, said to Alternative Nation in 2015. There was more to Nowell than living life like the world was one big smoke-filled Chevy van. This was neither the beginning nor the end of Staleys sufferings that he was trying to get rid of it for years. A syringe loaded with a fresh supply of heroin sat in his hand; a used needle lay at his feet. You're not wrong if you're picking up on a bit of resentment at the end there. Fuck it, fight it, its all the same, Nowell sang on What I Got, and it was a message that resonated with millions of people that had no idea that they were bobbing their heads to a happy-go-lucky dead guy. She died in the hospital late in 1996. At one point, Staley was even informed that his old man had passed away, although this wasn't true. timeout: 2000 }, Does taking Russian roulette out of the equation make Aces death any less spectacular? I don't live his lifestyle, so his house isn't the healthiest place to be around. Staley and Parrott met in 1988 while she was working at a store called Saturdays. "@type": "WebPage",
Brown heroin stains led from the bathroom to the living room. 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." By early 2001, it had been a couple of years since he had seen his old friend, so he was very surprised when he ran into him at a party. This actually isnt much of a departure from the sound of Alice In Chains 1.0, which was steeped in the undead Southern-rock harmonies of Staley and 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. Im going to die like thisthis is it. For years, Kinney had tried reaching out to Staley three times a week, either by phone or, when he was in town, yelling at the window of his nondescript Seattle condo. }, .addService(googletag.pubads()); Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. We may earn a commission from links on this page. In addition to Mark, Demris friend Ferrano agreed with him and stated that Staley died because he felt guilty about ending their relationship and not being kind to Demri who was the only person that loved him although he wasnt famous and rich back then. {
But you don't write and sing songs like "Rooster" and "Would?" She was adopted by her stepfather Stephen John Parrott. As for fans that object to another man heading up Sublime, Ramirez seems content to play the haters gonna hate card. The singers life was full of trauma, and drugs, at first, offered him an escape from his pain. Bob: Your Moms worried, man. }); Trending. 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. Fortunately for Staley, Elmer appeared to be a pretty decent stepdad and even played a large role in getting young Staley into music. "There is no f-----g way I'm going to do that," he shouted. She said after most of the crowd left at night Layne was still there, and she wanted to go swimming so Layne followed her to the pool. Me? "@id": "https://www.alternativenation.net/",
}); Neither Demri's mother nor Layne's stepfather have been able to confirm that. Neither Demris mother nor Laynes stepfather have been able to confirm that. "@type": "ListItem",
Both Jerry Cantrell, the other engine driving Alice in Chains, and drummer Sean Kinney openly talk about their sobriety these days, but are none too specific about the substances, other than booze, at the source of their addictions. 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. about the Dirt cover were awhile ago, but that's Mariah, not Demri. Movies: Now more than ever. 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. Kurt Cobain short-circuited death by heroin with a shotgun blast to the head in 1994. and "Them Bones" unless you've got deep wells of pain to draw from for inspiration. Alice in Chains was opening for Van Halen on tour in 1991 when Staley, prompted by Parrott, started using. It was therapeutic and worked [for] me for a while until my dad saw my picture printed on a magazine., The singer divulged how his father became a bad influence on him. How close do you think that was to us, Ann? Description: Demri Lara Parrott Murphy (February 22nd 1969 - October 29th 1996) was an American model, artist, and muse, and an amateur actress, girlfriend and later fiance of Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). And as we're all aware, things have hardly improved in the decades since. The server responded with {{status_text}} (code {{status_code}}). Hes wearing gold Elvis sunglasses and talking about partying with the other bands on tour and hanging with champion skateboarder Remy Stratton. She was of Native American (Cherokee), Irish, Scottish, Welsh, English, and Swiss-German descent. Krist Novoselic, Mark Lanegan, Mike Inez & Sean Kinney Tried To Help Layne. In the end, his dad found him. She will know it sooner or later. 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. .addSize([0, 0], [[320, 50]]) pubID: '434bb5e4-3704-4b75-b36c-785a444462bd', Demri's obituary. The pain is more than you can handle. googletag.cmd.push(function() { The single Down In A Hole is a pained expression of romantic loss that became a metaphor for chemical longing in Staleys hands. Like lots of rock stars, Layne Staley didn't have the happiest, most stable upbringing. Staley couldnt bring himself to join Cantrell on stage after being asked, and a photo taken of him backstage is the last image of the singer before his death. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. The bands 1990 debut, Facelift, went platinum thanks in large part to the popular single Man In The Box, which succinctly laid out the themes of future Alice In Chains records in the very first lineStaley was a man trapped, buried in his own shit, and while he was self-aware enough to acknowledge it, he was powerless to lift himself out. This past Saturday was the 20th anniversary of the death of Demri Parrott, Layne Staley's ex-fiance. They are not my friends.". If you have a better quality version of this photo please send it! 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. Seattle Weekly describes the tragic scene when police kicked in the door to Layne Staley's condo in Seattle's University District on April 19. 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. His comments given to Rubio show that Staley was aware that his mortality was on the horizon and had accepted his fate. 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. She said he looked like a kid again, and at that moment there was no darkness in his life. However, that defensiveness had nothing to do with personal embarrassment. In the Staley slot was William DuVall, who sang in Cantrells post-AIC band and sat in with Alice when the band first reunited in 2006 for a benefit concert. In 1996, Staleys life was turned upside down when his former fiance, Demri Lara Parrott, died of a drug overdose and when she passed, so did a bit of Staley. Throughout, Cantrells off-kilter, shotgun-blast-to-the-intestines guitar work acts as a queasy counterpoint to Staleys dead-man-walking howling. Staley and Parrott met in 1988 while she was working at a store called Saturdays. 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. var mapping2 = googletag.sizeMapping() Layne didnt get in, but sat in a chair sipping a beer. In fact, it was his accountants who first noticed something might've been up. 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. "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." "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
Listening to music you love to hear is fun, period.Rome Ramirez, on replacing Bradley Nowell as the new singer of Sublime, So sing just like him, fuckers/It wont offend him/Just me/Because hes dead.Pearl Jam, 4/20/02, written for Layne Staley. He didnt have a great voice, but he sang like he did, using the power of his personality to give his vocals the sunny brassiness that made Sublime songs so irresistible on the radio once 1996s Sublime brought the bands music to the masses. Of course he did." Demri Parrott was famous for being the ex-fiancee of Alice in Chains frontman, Layne Staley. Dirt plugs you into the day-to-day slog of one addicts life; even if you don't connect with the record, you still cant help but feel a dull ache in your bones and the sting of rancid sickness in your nostrils. I told him that John had gangrene once. Layne was flipping through the channels and stumbled on the John Edward show Crossing Over, a show that TV Guide describes as: A psychic claims to communicate with his audiences late loved ones. }
There was a stash of cocaine and two crack pipes on the table. Demri Parrott was former ex-girlfriend of singer Layne Staley from Alice in Chains. var mapping2 = googletag.sizeMapping() They couldnt have a chance to get back together as both of them died tragically in a short time after their break-up. An indicator of that drop in regard for himself was when, in 1998, he contracted gangrene as a result of his lifestyle. To their shock and dismay, the two addicts discovered there was almost an excess of cocaine to be had in Brazil but no smack. Now for the more positive things: Demri Parrott (which I recently found out was pronounced Puh-Row) was described by everyone who knew her as a bubbly, charismatic and beautiful girl. googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_sidebar_1', [[300,600],[300,1050],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-7') At that point, Staley had already been to rehab after an intervention. "When I haven't talked to anybody in years, and every article I see is dope this, junkie that, whiskey this that ain't my title My bad habits aren't my title. It was love at first sight. I can get by without them. I know he was joking, but I dont like to hear stuff like that. .addService(googletag.pubads()); 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. googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_sidebar_1', [[300,600],[300,1050],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-7') An updated version of The Book Of Rock Lists would probably be topped by Dimebag Darrell Abbott, the former Pantera guitarist who was gunned down onstage by a crazed fan during a performance with his band Damageplan on Dec. 8, 2004 at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio. }
googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_content_3', [[336,280],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-5') She loved creating decopage with 30s and 40s vintage style images cut outs from wrapping paper or old greeting cards. The story of Sublime is one of the strangest and most tragic tales in all of 90s rock. 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. I did crack and heroin for years. .addService(googletag.pubads()); She attended at school in Arlington (Washington), and dropped at her . The most vocal haters of the new Sublime were from Bradley Nowells family, which issued a statement in 2009 chastising Gaugh and Wilson for carrying on the band name without their original singer and friend. His skin was grey, dark circles under his eyes. One of the many drenched-in-drug moments revealed in David de Sola's new book, "Alice in Chains: The Untold Story," has Cobain and Staley striking a deal while the bands were on tour in Rio de Janeiro. googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_top_2', [[336,280],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-2') }
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. Rooster is a spooky character study about Cantrells father fighting off demons from the Vietnam War, but it also applied to Staleys own drawn-out, unwinnable conflict. Staleys horse-addicted ghost is still Cantrells muse, only this time Staley is actually dead. That same year, Alice In Chains played its final shows with Staley, performing on MTV Unplugged in Aprilthe bands first concert in three yearsand several dates with the newly reunited Kiss, ending with a gig in Kansas City on July 3, 1996. dawn to dusk. 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. He would never perform with Alice In Chains again. !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"); ,{
Layne Considered Sending A Demo To Jerry Cantrell. But that was contingent on him having the energy and focus to be able to work, and I guess that didnt materialize., 5. *Confusion. "Layne shot me up first a couple of times. Other (false) rumors emerged, claiming that Staley had contracted gangrene by shooting up and had body parts ranging from fingers to an entire arm amputated. Self: 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. Not exactly a good start to the relationship. Alice in Chains was the first of grunge's big four to break out, but Nirvana clearly won the to-the-death competition. 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. But its a surprisingly decent addition to the Alice In Chains canon. Search for Bradley Nowell videos on YouTube and youll find a smattering of interview clips recorded a year or so before he died. "item": {
The couple was defined as soulmates and everyone admired their passionate relationship. Though never verified, there have been rumors that Layne worked on a home demo called Everyday that he planned on sending to Jerry Cantrell, possibly as late as 2002. Staley was found dead, toothless and weighing only 86 pounds, in his Seattle apartment in 2002. The article notes that Jerry Cantrell had told Kerrang! Demri Parrott probably is referenced in the most AIC songs that we know of: *Love, Hate, Love. He was down in a hole so deep he couldnt hope to hit bottom. He hadn't yet mastered singing high. Gallagher had been friends with Staley since 1986, even living with him and Sleze bassist Mike Mitchell for a period in the 80s. "@type": "ListItem",
Topics Parrott, too, was a heavy drug user and fatally overdosed on October 29, 1996. .addService(googletag.pubads()); schain: { He ended up in the hospital. But when theres 20,000 people out there, just loving everything, and just dancing around with smiles, nothing can stop that.. Im not going to quit doing drugs. The book notes he was missing teeth and struggling to breathe. 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. But while the surviving members of Alice In Chains made sure to present their band as a newly evolved entity, Sublimes Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson are trying to pick up where they were forced to leave off in 1996, when their lead singer, Bradley Nowell, died of a heroin overdose at age 28. 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. "I don't give a f*** if you f****** believe me or not, dude. nodes: [ Layne Might Have Considered Fronting Audioslave. Eventually, his father managed to stop using. Most people who love Sublime today are fans of a band that Nowell hasnt been a living member of for 15 years. Forrest says that Staleys mind clearly still worked but that he was a million miles away., Bob: Hey Layne. According to David de Solas 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. Its okay! "The same s--t was going on again.". googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_content_3', [[336,280],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-5') " Kinney recalls. To anyone with a passing knowledge of Staleys life and music, his downfall played out like the worst kind of endingdistasteful, depressing, and all too predictable. Ive never heard someones voice hit the tape like that. Pop culture obsessives writing for the pop culture obsessed. "itemListElement": [
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But soon he was caught in an inescapable trap that led to his premature death in 2002. Demri Parrott was engaged to Layne Staley (1992 - 1994). googletag.cmd.push(function() { Next That charity fights heroin dependency in the Seattle area. Forever. So it shouldn't surprise anyone least of fall fans of his timeless music, the millions of people who cite him as an inspiration, or anyone familiar with rock star biographies that despite his success, he lived a hard life and died too young. The last public appearance he made was almost four years before his death when he attended his bandmate Jerry Cantrells solo concert in Seattle on Halloween in 1998.