Layne Staley Portrait- Alice in Chains

 I painted Layne Staley from Alice in Chains in 2007. The original painting was a Christmas gift for my partner, Karl. He's the one who got me hooked on their music! Up until then, I had only heard a couple of the songs that got a lot of radio play, but their work is a lot more varied than those few songs. They have an amazing gift for layering sound. Whether it's vocals or instruments, you hear something new everytime you listen to one of their songs. Unfortunately, they lost a great talent when Layne Staley died. Here's a bit about his life...

  Born August 22, 1967 in Kirkland, Washington, Layne Staley had early aspirations of becoming a singer. By 1987, Staley joined forces with Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney and Mike Starr and formed Alice in Chains, a band that would become internationally famous in the grunge movement. The name of the band actually came from a previous band Staley was in called Alice N' Chains where Staley would dress in drag and play speed metal. 

In 1990, they released their debut album titled Facelift, featuring the hit song, "Man in the Box." They went on to release several more albums and, in 1996, performed on MTV Unplugged. This would be Staley's last performance.

On April 20, 2002, Layne Staley's body was found in his condo surrounded by spray paint cans, a small stash of cocaine and two crack pipes. A memorial was held that night with about 1,000 friends and fans attending. His autopsy would later report that he had died from a combination of heroin and cocaine referred to as a "speedball."

Bands such as Pearl Jam, Cold, Staind and others have written songs in honor of Staley's memory and the music he created. His mother has gone on to form the Layne Staley fund that works to raise money for drug treatment in Seattle.

   I have been lucky enough to see Alice in Chains in concert, but I would have loved to see Layne Staley on stage. The band now has William DuVall as their lead singer and he doesn't disappoint.

*To read more about the Layne Staley fund visit their website: Layne Staley Fund

*To learn more about what Alice in Chains is currently doing (New album May 2013!) visit their website: Alice in Chains Official website

If you would like to purchase one of my Layne Staley prints, you can visit my Etsy store at the links below...

5x7 SIGNED print

8x10 SIGNED print

11x14 SIGNED print

Layne Staley T-Shirt (black)

Layne Staley coffee mugs- CURRENTLY SOLD OUT- If you would like to order a mug just contact me.