Photo by John Atashian/Getty Images

Today Layne Staley would have turned 55-years-old. Staley was the songwriter and original lead singer of the groundbreaking grunge band Alice In Chains, but unfortunately we lost him much too soon. Staley passed away on April 19th, 2002 from an accidental overdose at the young age of 34.

Staley was born on August 22nd, 1967 in Kirkland, Washington. His love of music sparked very early as he joined a rhythm band when he was about three-years-old. At the age of 12, he started learning drums and performed in multiple glam bands as a drummer throughout this teenage years. However, Staley dreamed of becoming a singer. It was 1987 when he met guitarist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney who recruited Staley as the band’s lead singer. With this lineup of extremely talented musicians, Staley would help guide Alice in Chains throughout the Seattle grunge movement that was taking the world by storm.

Staley’s influence throughout his short years on Earth is still deeply felt by rock fans across the entire world, even twenty years after his death. To say the least, Staley is so missed.

To celebrate the legendary singer’s 55th birthday, watch Layne Staley perform with Alice in Chains live at The Moore here: