Layne was born on August 22, 1967, at Overlake Hospital in Washington, to Phillip Blair Staley and Nancy Elizabeth Staley, and was named Layne Rutherford Staley. Staley did not like the name Rutherford, so in his teens, he legally changed his middle name to Thomas because he was a huge fan of Motley Crue and their drummer, Tommy Lee.

Staley was seven years old when his parents divorced. He was mainly raised by his mother and stepfather, Jim Elmer. Staley was really against religion; he was raised a Christian Scientist, but in his adulthood, he was very open about being against religion.

Layne started playing drums when he was 12 years old, but later on, he had dreams of being a singer, and that would define his career.

Staley met bandmate Jerry Cantrell at a party in Seattle while working on music. Months before they met, Cantrell watched Staley perform with his then-band, Alice N’ Chains, and was very impressed with his performance. Cantrell was homeless after being kicked out of his family’s house, so Staley invited him to stay with him.

The two guys became quick friends and quickly became roommates. Alice N’ Chains disbanded, and Staley would go on and join a funk band where he asked Cantrell to join him and be his sideman. Cantrell agreed on one condition: if Staley would also join him in his own band.

At that time, they did not have a name for the band. But they did have a drummer (Sean Kinney) and bassist (Mike Starr). They started auditioning terrible singers just to get on laynes nerves and try to convince him to join; that tactic worked. Layne got angry and later agreed to join. Two weeks after the band formed, they played a gig at the University of Washington. They tried to fill a set of  40-minute set with some original songs and some Hanoi Rocks and David Bowie covers.

They gained attention in the Seattle area and eventually took the name of Staley’s previous band, Alice N’ Chains, then renamed Alice in Chains. Staley did get permission from his former bandmates to use the name. There was a promoter from around the area who had become aware of the band at one of their concerts. Randy Hauser offered to pay for a demo.

The day before the demo happened, the Music Bank in Washington was shut down by the police during the biggest cannabis raid in the state. Alice in Chains completed their final demo in 1988, and it was named “The Treehouse Tapes.” The demo was passed to Columbia Records’ A&R. The band also recorded a demo over three months in 1989. Alice in Chains would release their debut album “Facelift” on August 21st, 1990, defining the band’s signature sound and style.

Staley was part of a supergroup named “Mad Season.” They were an American rock band formed in 1994 as a side project of legendary rock bands. They included guitarist Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, drummer Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees, bassist John Baker Saunders, and Staley as the lead singer.

“Mad Season” released only one album, Above, in March of 1995. Their first single, “River of Deceit,” was a radio hit, and their album was certified gold. The band’s conflicting schedules and Staley’s problems with drugs made them go on hiatus. Attempts were made to revive the group in the 1990s, with Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan instead of Staley, but the band fully split in 1999 because of the death of John Baker Saunders from a drug overdose.

From 1999 to 2002, Staley became more depressed; he rarely left his Seattle condo. Very little is known about his life during that period. Staley was rumored to often play video games, create art, and do drugs.

Staley’s mother told The Seattle Times in 2007 that even though he was isolated, he was never far from the love of his family and friends, who sent many letters and left many calls.

She is quoted as saying,“Just because he was isolated doesn’t mean we didn’t have sweet moments with him.”

Staleys’ appearance had become worse and worse with time; he lost several teeth, and his skin was super pale. Staley lost contact with friends and bandmates who would try to get him into rehab, but he would refuse every time.

On April 17, 2002, Staley’s mother went to his condo to let him know about someone’s death, but there was no answer. On April 19th, 2002, Staleys’ accountant contacted his former manager and informed her that no money had been withdrawn in the past two weeks. They contacted Staley’s mom, and she went to his apartment again. There was mail by the door.

Staley had a cat named Sadie, who was usually quiet. His mom heard the cat meowing a lot, and she immediately became worried. She still didn’t receive an answer from Staley. His mom called 911 to say she hadn’t heard from him in over two weeks, and the police later came and entered the apartment with her ex-husband.

It was reported that 6-foot Staley weighed only 86 pounds when his body was discovered. His body was partially decomposed when he was found. They had to identify his body by comparing dental records.

The autopsy report on his body revealed that he had died from a mixture of heroin and cocaine, known as a Speedball. The autopsy also concluded that he had died two weeks before his body was found. His death was classified as “accidental.”