- Source of Wealth: Music
- Birth Place: Kirkland, Washington, USA
- Height: 6′ 0″ (1.84 m)
- Full Name: Layne Thomas Staley
- Nationality: American
- Date of Birth: August 22, 1967
- Ethnicity: Danish (paternal great-grandmother), English, Scottish, German, Swiss-German, remote Italian/Venetian, possibly Irish
- Occupation: Musician
Layne Staley was an American musician who has an estimated net worth of $5 million. He was best known as the original lead singer and co-songwriter of the rock band Alice in Chains. Born Layne Thomas Staley on August 22, 1967 in Kirkland, Washington, his interest in music started at a very young age and he always dreamed of becoming a singer.
In 1987, Staley met guitarist Jerry Cantrell at a party in Seattle while working at Music Bank rehearsal studios. Cantrell was impressed by his voice and the two went on to form the alternative band that played metal/grunge music and rose to international fame during Seattle’s grunge movement.
Layne, who is known for his distinct vocal style and tenor voice, and Cantrell, who had a unique style for the guitars, blended with each other to give the band a trademark. His work with Alice in Chains had earned him several recognition. In 2006, he was ranked at No. 27 on Hit Parader’s list of “Heavy Metal’s All-Time Top 100 Vocalists” while in 2012, he was at No. 42 on Complex’s magazine list of “The 50 Best Lead Singers of All Time”.
Unfortunately, Layne died in 2002 at the age of 34. He had been struggling with depression and drug addiction, which caused his death, when he stayed out of the public spotlight since mid-1996.