Remembering Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley

Today marks the 25th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death, as well as the 17th anniversary of Layne Staley’s.

Cobain was arguably the biggest rock icon of his generation. He started Nirvana with Krist Novoselic and Chad Channing in Washington, releasing Bleach in 1989. After signing to Geffen Records, Nevermind was released with Dave Grohl, catapulting the band to mainstream success. As the band shot to fame, Cobain dug deeper into his drug addiction. By 1994, Cobain was dealing with complicated feelings towards his rock stardom, health issues, and multiple attempts at rehab. On April 5, the star ultimately committed suicide with a shotgun in his home, survived by his wife Courtney Love and daughter Frances Bean Cobain.

Layne Staley of Alice of Chains struggled with a drug addiction throughout his career. Alice in Chains had been mostly inactive since they opened for KISS in the summer of 1996. Staley was barely seen in public after that, with multiple musician friends attempting to help him get clean, including Red Hot Chili Peppers’ John Frusciante. On April 19, 2002, police were called upon to break down Staley’s door after no one had heard from the rocker in two weeks. He was found surrounded by drugs and drug paraphernalia, his death being ruled as accidental. The autopsy and toxicology report determined his death date as April 5.

May both talented souls rest in peace.