21 years ago today, we lost a legendary artist. On April 5th, 2002, Layne Staley passed away at the age of 34. It was reported that he overdosed on a combination of heroin and cocaine, after years of struggling with addiction and depression. Oddly, this happened exactly 8 years to the day, after the passing of his friend Kurt Cobain.

He was well known as the frontman of Alice in Chains.

After he passed away, his parents founded the Layne Staley Memorial Fund which is an organization that helps other heroin addicts in the Seattle area.

Since then, the world has continued to remember him and his music. In 2019, Seattle celebrated their first-ever Layne Staley Day.

Many rockers have acknowleged Staley’s talent, for example Ozzy Osbourne who named Alice In Chains’ Facelift as one of his top ten albums of all time. He told Rolling Stone that it was an “amazing debut”, and that “‘Man in the Box’ is a classic. Layne Staley was a lovely guy. It’s such a shame that he couldn’t overcome his demons.”

Alice in Chains has sold over 30 million records worldwide. Staley has often been refered to as one of the most memorable voices in grunge.

Kurt Cobain died on April 5th, 1994. It’s been 29 years now since he passed away, he was only 27 years old.

His body hadn’t been found until three days after his death, when an electrician went to do some work on his home in Seattle. The Seattle Police Department reported that Cobain died of a gunshot wound to the head. The shotgun and suicide note were discovered at the scene.

Many articles and magazines such as U Discover Music called Cobain’s suicide “a single gunshot that tore through an entire generation.”

Prior to his death, Cobain had checked himself into a drug rehabilitation facility after his heroin addiction resurfaced. To this day there are many conspiracies surrounding how he died.

He is remembered by his wife Courtney Love, their daughter Frances Bean Cobain, as well as fans and musicians around the world.

At the time of his death, Nirvana was the biggest rock band on the globe. Cobain founded the band along with bassist Krist Novoselic. They went through a few drummers but eventually, they recruited Dave Grohl on drums in 1990. Together they paved the way for 90s grunge bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and more.

Nirvana has sold over 75 million records worldwide.

In 2014, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which was the first year they were eligible. Below you can watch Novoselic and Grohl tell stories about Nirvana, right after their induction.