Photo: Rex Aran Emrick / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Layne Staley was born in Bellevue, Washington, United States on August 22, 1967. Layne Staley was credited as a singer, songwriter and composer. Death is recorded on April 5, 2002, at the age of 34. Schooling on record includes Meadowdale High School.
My Take
Layne Staley had one of those voices that stops you cold the first time you hear it — a raw, aching baritone that could slide from a whisper into a gut-punch wail without losing an ounce of control. As the lead vocalist of Alice in Chains, he was the emotional center of Seattle's grunge movement in a way that felt almost uncomfortably honest, like he was singing things people weren't supposed to say out loud. The harmonies he and Jerry Cantrell built together were genuinely unlike anything else coming out of the early '90s — dense, slightly dissonant, and hauntingly beautiful. He was also a songwriter and guitarist, not just a frontman, which made his contributions run deeper than the spotlight suggested. He passed away in April 2002 at just 34, and the music world has never quite filled that space he left behind.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Layne Staley
- Name (Japanese)
- レイン・ステイリー
- Reading
- れいん・すていりー
- Born
- August 22, 1967 – April 5, 2002
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Goat
- Origin
- Bellevue, Washington, United States
- Occupation
- singer / songwriter / composer / guitarist
2. Background
- High school
- Meadowdale High School
3. Links
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Layne Staley born?
Born August 22, 1967.
When did Layne Staley die?
Died April 5, 2002, aged 34.
Where was Layne Staley from?
Layne Staley was from Bellevue, Washington, United States.
What did Layne Staley do?
Layne Staley worked as singer, songwriter, composer, guitarist.
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