Alice in Chains: The Untold Story

Randy Hauser was in a medium-security federal prison in Sheridan, Oregon, when another inmate who had been a musician in Seattle approached him privately and told him. “I was devastated,” Hauser said. “I’m crying, and he’s making sure that nobody sees me. I’ve got this reputation to keep up to survive in prison. Here I am crying because one of my kids died.”

Chrissy Chacos was in the hospital, having just given birth to her second son. She had to remain hospitalized an extra week because she had undergone hernia surgery. “I was watching the news. They said, ‘Body of Layne Staley, Alice in Chains, dada, dada, da.’ I completely lost it, right then and there. I couldn’t believe it.” One coincidence that made Layne’s death hit even closer to home was the fact his body was discovered on April 19—her oldest son’s birthday.

Ron Holt got a phone call from Dave Hillis. “Two nights later, Raj Parashar and Dave came out to my house in Everett, and we drank my homemade absinthe, and I took Xanax, and we went out and partied in Layne’s honor.”

Pearl Jam was in the studio working on their Riot Act album when they heard. Eddie Vedder wrote the song “4/20/02”—about Layne’s death—the same night. According to McCready, “He recorded it at, like two or three in the morning, just with producer Adam Kasper. I think he was just so angry and he wanted to get it out.” The song would appear as a hidden track on some editions of Lost Dogs, the band’s B-sides compilation. “I think the reason it’s hidden is because he wouldn’t want it to be exploitative,” McCready explained. “I think he wants it to be hidden so you have to find it and think about it.”4

Fans gathered to mourn at the International Fountain at Seattle Center at a vigil organized by Cain Rarup, an Alice in Chains fan. The event began at around 6:00 P.M. on Saturday, April 20—approximately twenty-four hours after Layne’s body was discovered. Attendance was estimated at about two hundred people. The three surviving members of Alice in Chains came, as did Mike Starr, along with Susan and Chris Cornell. Jerry hugged friends and fans but didn’t speak much. Sean was quoted as tearfully saying, “My heart is broken. I’ve lost a lot of friends. But this…”5

Jeff Gilbert attended the vigil. “It seemed like everybody was kind of in a daze. We knew it was just going to be a matter of time for him, but when it happened, you can’t ever prepare yourself for that, and it was wretched.”

Three days after his body was discovered, the surviving members of Alice in Chains released a statement on their Web site that said they were feeling “heartbroken over the death of our beautiful friend” and described Layne as “a sweet man with a keen sense of humor and a deep sense of humanity” and “an amazing musician, an inspiration, and a comfort to so many.” The statement concluded, “We love you, Layne. Dearly. And we will miss you … endlessly.” The statement also asked that the media honor the privacy of Layne’s family and gave the name and address of a rehab center in Bellevue where people could send donations in Layne’s name.6

A few days later, Jim Elmer and Nancy Layne McCallum organized a group dinner at the Ruins. Besides Layne’s family, other guests included the other members of Alice in Chains and their management, as well as members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden and other close friends of Layne’s. Jamie Elmer praised Eddie Vedder in particular, calling him “the nicest, most supportive person there in the whole crowd, and I will never forget that.”

Jamie said, “He and his girlfriend sat outside with my sister and me, and [he] was just so nice and real, where most of the other people in the band didn’t even talk to us in the family. It was very odd. But he was so warm and nice to us, and was very—he came up to my parents and—he had manners, like coming up and giving parents condolences, and he was just really kind.”

A second vigil at Seattle Center was organized for Friday, April 26, promoted through fan sites and word of mouth. Despite rainy weather, about four hundred people came out. Layne’s parents, stepfather, and sister talked to people, gave hugs, and accepted condolences.7

Layne’s body was cremated, his ashes in the possession of his mother. A private memorial service was held at Kiana Lodge on Sunday, April 28. Located on Bainbridge Island along the shore of Puget Sound, the property is often booked for events like weddings, receptions, or proms. This is the same venue where Layne and Demri were supposed to be married several years earlier.8

As the preparations were being completed, Nancy Layne McCallum called Kathleen Austin the day before and said, “Kathleen, I just want to prepare you, there’s going to be a lot of pictures of Demri.”