Layne Thomas Staley was born on the 22nd August 1967, in Kirkland, Washington USA, and was a musician, singer, and songwriter, probably best recognized for being the lead singer and guitarist of the alternative rock band Alice in Chains, which he formed with Jerry Cantrell; he released five studio albums with the band. His musical career was active from 1979 to 2002, when he passed away.
So, have you ever wondered how rich Layne Staley was? According to authoritative sources, it was estimated that the total sum of Layne’s net worth was over $10 million, the result of his successful involvement in the music industry as a musician and a part of a rock band.
Layne Staley Net Worth $10 Million
Layne Staley was raised in a Catholic family by his father, Phillip Blair “Phil” Staley, and his mother, Nancy Elizabeth Staley. When he was only seven years old his parents divorced, and he stayed with his mother, who later remarried Jim Elmer. He studied at Meadowdale High School, located in Lynnwood, Washington, and during that time became interested in music, listening to rock bands including Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, etc. Prior to that time, Layne began playing the drums, and he performed with several bands, but he had a wish to become a singer.
As early as 1984 Layne’s musical career began, as he joined the band Seize, consisting of students of Shorewood High School. Two years later, the band changed its formation and name to Alice N` Chains. The band played throughout Seattle, and their set list included covers from bands such as Black Sabbath and Anthrax, among others. However, after a year the band disbanded; during that time, Layne shared a room with guitarist Jerry Cantrell, and after Alice N` Chains broke, Layne began collaborating with Cantrell. In 1987, Layne joined Cantrell’s band, which consisted of Mike Starr and Sean Kinney, taking the name Alice in Chains.
The band’s debut album came out in 1990, entitled “Facelift”; which spawned their huge hit “Man In The Box”, written by Layne, it certainly helped the sales of the album, which eventually reached two million copies, earning double platinum status and increasing his net worth.
After the album release, the band and Staley ventured on a tour for two years, after which they released an EP entitled “Sap”, which consisted of songs recorded in an acoustic arrangement. The following year they released their second album – “Dirt” – which garnered positive critiques, and reached No. 6 on the US Billboard 200 chart, achieving four times platinum status, and increasing Layne’s net worth by a large margin.
Despite the growing popularity of the band, trouble came knocking on their doors; Mike Starr left the band and he was replaced by Mike Inez. Furthermore, Layne’s drug addiction intensified, and they were unable to tour for the majority of 1993.
However, two years later, the band released their third album entitled “Alice in Chains”; the album became a complete success, topping the US Billboard 200 chart, and achieving double platinum status, increasing further Layne’s net worth. Unfortunately, after the release, Layne’s drug problems became worse, and this became their last studio album that he released with the Alice in Chains, before he died.
From 1996 until 2002, the band released two live albums, including “MTV Unplugged” which became quite popular, and also a few compilation albums, the sales of which also added to Staley’s net worth.
Speaking about his personal life, Layne Staley was engaged to Demri Lara Parrott, but she died from a drug overdose in 1996. The interesting fact is that he died on the same date as Kurt Cobain, but eight years later on the 5th April 2002 in Seattle, Washington, from an accumulation of drug overdoses, although he wasn’t discovered until two weeks later. After his death, his mother established the Layne Staley Fund, a non-profit organization which helps young people who have problems with drug addiction. .
