Layne Staley, lead singer with acclaimed Seattle rockers Alice in Chains, has been found dead in his apartment. He was 34.
His body was discovered last Friday at his home in Seattle's University district.
The cause of death has not been released but it is believed that the singer had been dead for some time.
Staley's distinctive vocals allied to Jerry Cantrell's guitar-playing helped propel Alice in Chains to mega-stardom in the early 90s.
Their second album, 'Dirt', won worldwide acclaim but its subject matter echoed Staley's own struggle with drug abuse.
The band stopped touring in the mid-90s, their last eponymous studio album was released in 1995.
