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I have been somewhat fascinated by the untimely death of Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley.  My first remembrance of him is actually my brother’s ex-girlfriend saying something to the effect of, “oh my God, he is so hot.”  Her position seems odd and ironic looking back on it.  At the time he was at the height of his musical career, but now, more then a decade later, he is simply dead.

Staley developed drug addictions that became worse over time.  He even became something of a recluse after his girlfriend died as a result of her own drug addictions.  Here is a man who at one moment is on the top of the music industry and the next moment on a suicide watch.  The man that my brother’s ex once described as “so hot” grew frail and spent his days alone.  By the time of his death he weighed less then 100 lbs. and had lost teeth.  MTV has excerpts from Staley’s final interview that read quite tragically:

“I know I’m dying,” he rasped through missing teeth. “I’m not doing well. Don’t try to talk about this to my sister Liz. She will know it sooner or later.”

“This f—ing drug use is like the insulin a diabetic needs to survive,” he said. “I’m not using drugs to get high like many people think. I know I made a big mistake when I started using this sh–. It’s a very difficult thing to explain. My liver is not functioning and I’m throwing up all the time and sh—ing my pants. The pain is more than you can handle. It’s the worst pain in the world. Dope sick hurts the entire body.”

People still go to see Staley’s band.  They have replaced him.  The man that had all the things every person wants as a kid: fame, money, talent, respect, threw it all away.  Perhaps the saddest part is that he knew it.  His final interview has the macabre lament:

“I know I’m near death.  I did crack and heroin for years. I never wanted to end my life this way. I know I have no chance. It’s too late. I never wanted [the public's] thumbs’ up about this f—ing drug use. Don’t try to contact any AIC (Alice in Chains) members. They are not my friends.”

If only he had sought treatment instead of shutting himself off from the world.

For more information about drug and alcohol recovery, contact Mark Houston Recovery today.

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