Fast Fact
- — November 1, 2010
Did you know that Layne Staley was born in Kirkland and went to Edmonds’ Meadowdale High School?
It’s true! Born in 1967 to Phil Staley and Nancy McCallum, the Alice in Chains front man was forever haunted by his parents’ divorce when he was seven years old. “My world became a nightmare,” he once said, “there were just shadows around me.” Alice in Chains has sold tens of millions of albums and has had seven Grammy Award nominations. But Staley struggled throughout his career with drug addiction and died in 2002 of a drug overdose. The band continues without him, fronted by William DuVall. •
Illustration by Regina Volpi Baerwalde for City Arts.
