Club tells us, the year 1996 seems to have marked the start of his slow, sad downfall. "When I tried drugs, they were f****** great, and they worked for me for years," he said. My liver is not functioning and Im throwing up all the time and shitting my pants. The book notes he was missing teeth and struggling to breathe. 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. } The specificity of Dirt is what makes the album so moving, and its the most obvious attribute separating Alice In Chains from the legion of bands that emerged to take its place after Staley slipped into permanent heroin hibernation. I didn't want my fans to think that heroin was cool.". googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_content_1', [[336,280],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-3') "@id": "https://www.alternativenation.net/category/rock/", He was down in a hole so deep he couldnt hope to hit bottom. So it is that Alice in Chains, with its influential blend of heavy metal and grunge, which plays on. 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. }, timeout: 2000 }, Really.. Im telling you: Demri was here last night. Demris mother, Kathleen Austin, heard this story from Mike Starr after Laynes death and relayed the story to David de Sola (and it was corroborated by Jason Buttino). According to "sources close to the band," Staley lost his 27-year-old ex-girlfriend, Demri Parrott, to a heroin overdose later that same year. Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. "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. "@type": "BreadcrumbList", In 1993, when the band was touring in support of "Dirt," Staley would walk offstage midsong to get high. - CANADA \u0026 USA:- YouTube http://bit.ly/2Kbji5C - iTunes https://apple.co/2KNOCD2 - Vimeo http://bit.ly/2Iv1ywd - XBOX http://bit.ly/2K8AF6Z- Google Play https://bit.ly/3cwDybUWHAT IS CLASSIC ROCK? In June 1992, the albums post-production was complete and the album was 100% complete by the end of June. Its known that both Parrott and Staley were struggling with their drug addiction problems for a very long time until the young couples early and unexpected deaths. Would you agree, because I kind of would after reading from many of the fan theories? Part of what makes Dirt an impressive artistic achievement is that much of the album was written or co-written by Cantrell, who performed a sort of method songwriting by infusing a junkies hopelessness and guttural desperation even into songs that didnt directly address addiction. 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. And as we're all aware, things have hardly improved in the decades since. At the time of her death she had already had a pacemaker implanted due to the damage caused by using dirty needles to inject heroine. He was traveling with a bodyguard hired specifically to keep his drug use in check, but after the show he overdosed. complete: 1, }); William DuVall later replaced Staley and Duff McKagan joined on rhythm guitar. They began dating a short time after they saw each other. Courtney Love tried to chase him down following Cobain's death. 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. Following his death in 2002, Screaming Trees frontman told Rolling Stone, He never recovered from Demris death. .addSize([748, 200], [[728, 90]]) Layne: Nothing. Far Out Magazine details one of Layne Staley's final interviews, as published in "Layne Staley: Angry Chair." Demri Parrott was former ex-girlfriend of singer Layne Staley from Alice in Chains. melisaiscan@rockcelebrities.net, When Neil Young Found A Way To Communicate His Son With Disabilities, Inside Of The Third Eye Blind: Departures, Net Worths, And Conspiracy Theories, How Journey Fans Were Divided By Neal Schon And Arnel Pineda Feud, Paul Stanley Appreciates Gene Simmons Overcoming His Biggest Fear For Him, Top Five Best Counting Crows Songs Of All Time, James Hetfield To Share The Screen With Peter Dinklage In Dark Western Thriller, Rob Halford Believes Ozzy Osbourne Needs Support After His Difficult Decision, Neal Schon Reacts To Arnel Pineda Fans Accusations, Total Bullsh*t, Nikki Sixx Applauds Selena Gomez For Her Courage, Ted Nugent Believes Americans Should Be Ashamed Of Themselves, Paul Stanley Reveals Gene Simmons Real Character Beyond KISS Persona. Much farther down on the most spectacular rock deaths list is Layne Staley of Alice In Chains. Demri Parrott was engaged to Layne Staley (1992 - 1994). Because he'd been a recluse for so long, friends and family who might've found him earlier didn't think it was particularly odd they hadn't heard from him during that time. "@type": "WebPage", She was hurt that they chose someone that looked like her rather than having her do it. .addService(googletag.pubads()); I know why youre here. 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", 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. 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. hp: 1, On April 5, 2002, Layne Staley took a speedball a combination of cocaine and heroin and passed away (via Diffuser). ] As Starr stormed out, Staley begged him to stay, saying, "Not like this. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. He thought it was very rock n roll, you know, Nowells widow Troy Dendekker said. 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. ,{ They began dating a short time after they saw each other. After that, I dont think he wanted to go on.. By the end, she was living with an older man who bizarrely drove her around unconscious for several hours before getting help. Nevertheless, Alice In Chains has lived on like few bands of its time, and even in death Staley is still among the most vital singers youre likely to hear on the local modern-rock station. Alice in Chains was the first of grunge's big four to break out, but Nirvana clearly won the to-the-death competition. A year later, though, drummer Sean Kinney painted a different story, saying, "I talk to Layne, but we don't hang out. Layne was very into his artwork during his later years, frequently buying art supplies that were scattered around his home. I know who started it and they know too, but its funny I read stuff from people who make a statement as if they were there, knew her and it was fact and people believe them. Self: 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. What's not known is if they finally connected. The day of his death was estimated to be April 5, exactly eight years after Cobains suicide. 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. 5. On the other, Staley's affair with heroin got serious fast. He reminds me of my friends from high school, who returned home from the first year of college in the summer of 1997 blasting nothing but the Sublime record. What happened to Demri? apstag.setDisplayBids(); "It was only five or six shows, and by the end of the last one, it was cops, ambulances, and, 'Get on the plane! }); During those years, Staley became a recluse and barely left his apartment. There will always be haters, he said in an interview with budZtv in 2010. The book says that former Alice bassist Mike Starr was visiting Staley the day before the singer's death. By David de Sola | November 1, 2016 | 0. The difference on Black Gives Way To Blue was, as the title suggested, a shift in perspective. Sean Kinney would try to visit Layne at his home, and he frequently called him to no avail. Hes always been dead as far as most people are concerned. Demri Parrott Remembered. The singer spoke about how he went on a journey when he was 16 to find his father, but what he discovered made him not want to look any further. I know I have no chance. Demri's obituary. 2. "Since that call I always was wondering, 'Where is my dad?' Dont try to contact any AIC (Alice in Chains) members. .addSize([748, 200], [[728, 90]]) "@id": "https://www.alternativenation.net/category/rock/deep-cuts/", Starr himself had drug issues and, like Staley, succumbed to their power. nodes: [ Its the worst pain in the world. schain: { We may earn a commission from links on this page. .addService(googletag.pubads()); His comments given to Rubio show that Staley was aware that his mortality was on the horizon and had accepted his fate. "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. "name": "Deep Cuts" I had the chance to throw out all this anger by the music in order to help others. 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. I was about 20, and music became my only obsession to stay alive, he said. "Go f-----g do it now.". .addService(googletag.pubads()); Demri Parrott was an American model. It's known that Parrott was upset about the situation because Parrott herself was an aspiring model and actress. googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_content_2', [[336,280],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-4') Well, what have you got? It was therapeutic and worked for me for a while, until my dad saw my picture printed on a magazine." He was 44 years old. Staleys horse-addicted ghost is still Cantrells muse, only this time Staley is actually dead. 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. "I'm not doing well," the singer said. I'm telling you: Demri was here." 4. Staley's girlfriend, Demri Lara Parrott, started shooting smack and Alice in Chains got famous. } I think maybe the percentage has been a bit inverted [on the new album]. "name": "Home" 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. 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. googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_sidebar_1', [[300,600],[300,1050],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-7') Yeah we were . In 1988, Layne Staley met Demri Lara Parrot, a model who would eventually become a grunge icon. Layne Considered Sending A Demo To Jerry Cantrell. 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. !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"); "He would get so angry at me, he would be ready to get out of the goddamn moving car. } But that was contingent on him having the energy and focus to be able to work, and I guess that didnt materialize., 5. But as far as the public was concerned, Staley lived out the rest of his doomed existence as the ghost of grunges skeezy past. .addService(googletag.pubads()); (Volume 2) Castaway, Chemical Tribe, What it Takes, Dying Inside, Siddhartha, Hurts Don't It? 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 had the chance to throw out all this anger by the music in order to help others. In the end, his dad found him. Trending. } Whats going on. Thinking about both of them yesterday and. 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. "He was sort of a classic destroyer of hotel rooms.". But soon he was caught in an inescapable trap that led to his premature death in 2002. Forever. 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. .addSize([0, 0], [[300, 250], [336, 280]]) The article notes that Jerry Cantrell had told Kerrang! Don't try to contact any AIC members. Also, demri never got sober, so, all the times layne was in rehab, demri was still using heroin, which wasn't very helpful. I'm Melisa. pubID: '434bb5e4-3704-4b75-b36c-785a444462bd', A stiff cocktail of drugs composed of cocaine, codeine, and morphine was rattling around his ravaged, 86-pound frame. 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. .defineSizeMapping(mapping1) googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_top_2', [[336,280],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-2') Im not going to quit doing drugs. *Rain When I Die. I changed my number. But Staley, of course, never did. 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. googletag.enableServices(); .build(); 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. This portable projector plays your movies in crisp, high-contrast, 1080p detailno matter where you are. 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. Staley and Parrott met in 1988 while she was working at a store called Saturdays. She died in the hospital late in 1996. .addService(googletag.pubads()); There were times where someone had to go into the bathroom to see if Brad was still alive, Leary told Rolling Stone. There would be occasional sightings of Staley after that with open sores on his arms. { 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. googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; .addSize([0, 0], [[320, 50]]) It might be the least spectacular rock death of all time, in the sense that it surprised absolutely no one, including Staley himself. Learn More{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. Money goes to the Therapeutic Health Services (THS), which runs the Layne Staley Memorial Fund. "Then, our family friend Fred loaned him a drum set, and he loved the drums. Staley was on the sofa, illuminated by a flickering television. 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. As recounted by Rick Anderson of Seattle Weekly, Staleys body was found sitting upright on the couch, his remains illuminated by a flickering television in an otherwise darkened room. Two crack pipes were waiting on his coffee table, and several more used needles were uncovered when his body was moved. Demri's biological paternal grandfather was Beryl Gibson Dougherty (the son of Duncan M. "Dunk" Dougherty and . apstag.fetchBids({ In fact, it was his accountants who first noticed something might've been up. 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. 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. Nowell might have ended up being another heroin casualty of the era, but he didnt sound like a guy that needed a spike in the arm in order to get out of the bed in the morning. 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.