In memory Demri Lara Parrot

Demri left this world October 29, 1996; born in Bremerton, Wa. on Feb. 22, 1969 and attended school in Arlington. Demri was passionate about many things and exceled in art and theater. She loved to collect vintage clothes, make decoupage, write poetry and play in front of the camera. Demri was well known and had numerous friends that she touched with her charismatic and enchanting personality. There were many people who shared happiness and joy with her in this life, so many that all cannot be mentioned in this limited space. Demri is survived by her mother, Kathleen Austin; father, Dennis Dougherty; brothers, Devin, Derek and David; grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. John Austin; Uncle John, Aunt Glynna and Uncle Richard Lee; cousins, Brandy, Joe, Hanna, Katie, and Brian as well a large and extended family; her very special companion and loved one, Layne Staley. To those who always offered their support and love, the family would like to acknowledge Amber, Julie, Melinda, Mara, Sonja, Seth, Fabiola, Owen, Clay and Kevin Wilkens. A very special thanks to the Elmer Family, Susan Silver and Silver Management. An enormous amount of gratitude to those who always gave special and loving care to Demri, Harborview and University Medical Centers, Wedgwood and Evergreen Hospital. Services will be held Saturday, November 2, 3:30 p.m. at Neighborhood Christian Center, 5th and Warren, Bremerton (8 blocks to ferry dock). A Celebration of her life will also be held Sunday, November 3, from 3 p.m to 7 p.m. at 4745 University Way. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Harborview Adult Medicine Clinic in Demri’s name.

In Memory Layne Staley

Layne Staley, lead singer for the grunge band Alice in Chains, was found dead in his Seattle apartment, on Friday, April 19. He was 34.

Police did not immediately release details except that tests were required to establish the identity because the body, discovered Friday, had started to decompose. The King County Medical Examiner’s office did not release his cause of death. “It was natural or an overdose — that’s the way it was determined by our investigators,” said Seattle Police spokesman Duane Fish.

With Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, Alice in Chains was one of the most prominent bands of the Seattle grunge scene of the early ’90s. The group was known for its dark, menacing sound, which combined grunge and heavy metal.

Layne was born on August 22, 1967 in Kirkland, WA. His parents divorced when he was young. The first instrument Layne played was the drums at age 12. He played in different bands around Seattle. In these bands, he would sing while drumming. He soon he gave up drumming and just sang.

In 1987, Layne met guitarist Jerry Cantrell at a party. Jerry introduced him to Mike and Sean. They decide to start a band. Alice In Chains were born. The group’s first album, Facelift, was released in 1990. It later released Dirt and Alice in Chains. The group’s hits included Man in the Box, Them Bones, Rooster, and Would. While Alice in Chains didn’t garner as much respect as other Seattle grunge groups, the band’s influence still reverberates. Staley’s voice ranged from a low, growly monotone to a pained, piercing wail. He also played some guitar for the group.

Layne had battled substance abuse. During the time between the albums Facelift and SAP, Layne became addicted to heroin. In a 1996 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Staley spoke of how his drug use influenced his lyrics. “I wrote about drugs, and I didn’t think I was being unsafe or careless by writing about them,” he told the magazine. “Here’s how my thinking pattern went: When I tried drugs, they were (expletive) great, and they worked for me for years, and now they’re turning against me — and now I’m walking through hell, and this sucks.”

Alice in Chains stopped touring in the mid-’90s, when Staley’s drug use proved too great an obstacle. He began a number of stints in rehab. Layne later got together with Mike Mcready (Pearl Jam), Barret Martin (Screaming Trees), and John Baker Saunders to create the “Seatle Supergroup”  Mad Season. The band released the amazing album, “Above”. Layne also drew the pictures for the album.

“He was a sweet guy, but very troubled,” said Charles Cross, a former editor of the defunct Seattle music magazine The Rocket who recently wrote a biography of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. “He lost his girlfriend to drugs a number of years ago. People still had hopes he would turn around. It’s a sad tale.”

Staley’s body was found just over eight years after Cobain was found dead in his Seattle home of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. In the 1996 interview, Staley reflected on Cobain’s death: “I saw all the suffering that Kurt Cobain went through. I didn’t know him real well, but I just saw this real vibrant person turn into a real shy, timid, withdrawn person who could hardly get a ‘hello’ out. … At the end of the day or at the end of the party, when everyone goes home, you’re stuck with yourself.”

While Staley’s output had greatly diminished in recent years, his influence hasn’t. Traces of the frontman’s distinct vocal style and Alice in Chains’ thick-as-a-brick sound can be heard in the work of Godsmack, Creed, Staind, Puddle of Mudd, Adema and a host of others.

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