Today is a day of remembrance in rock 'n' roll. It was on this date, 20 years ago, that Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain took his own life. It was also on this date, eight years later, that Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley was found dead in his Seattle apartment.

As far as the 90's go, Cobain and Staley were two of the biggest rock stars in the world. When "Smells Like Teen Spirit" hit, Nirvana became the leaders of the Seattle grunge movement, which would change the world of rock 'n' roll forever. Their Nevermind album would also change my world forever.

As I write this, I'm listening to Nevermind for the third time today. Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl introduced me to a style of music that would influence countless decisions in my life, including my decision to get into radio.

I was 11-years old when Kurt Cobain committed suicide in his Seattle home. It was around this time that I was really finding my musical path in life, which included anything and everything that came from Seattle. Seeing Kurt Loder pop up on MTV to announce the death of Cobain was absolutely heartbreaking, because I knew that there would never be another Nirvana record. This band that I had come to love in such a short period of time was gone. Just thinking about how much Nirvana influenced thousands of musicians around the world in such a short period of time is absolutely astonishing. That band accomplished in just a few years what every band would hope to accomplish in a career.

It's no secret that drugs were very prominent in the grunge scene and two of the biggest users were Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley. While Cobain did not exactly succumb to drug addiction, Staley did.

The drug use by members of Alice in Chains is well documented. Guitarist Jerry Cantrell battled drug addiction for years. Original bassist Mike Starr was kicked out of the band, due to his drug use. He would later overdose and die in 2011. And, Layne...well, Layne lost the battle, too.

Staley's body was discovered in his Seattle apartment on April 19th, 2002. According to Wikipedia:

When police kicked in the door to Layne Staley's University District apartment on April 19, there, on a couch, lit by a flickering TV, next to several spray-paint cans on the floor, not far from a small stash of cocaine, near two crack pipes on the coffee table, reposed the remains of the rock musician.

I had just started working in radio when I heard about Staley's death. I remember our afternoon show at the time breaking the news and playing back-to-back Alice in Chains songs throughout the rest of the day.

Everyone has their favorite style of music and, without question, mine hails from Seattle. While it's great to see bands like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, Meat Puppets, and Alice in Chains, featuring a new lead singer, out on the road and still making music, I can't help but wonder how much we missed out on with the deaths of Cobain and Staley.

While they may be gone, they will never be forgotten.

R.I.P. Kurt. R.I.P. Layne.

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