The last public photo of Layne Staley before his death depicted a pale and gaunt figure with sunken eyes surrounded by dark circles. The photo in question was reportedly taken backstage at bandmate Jerry Cantrell’s solo concert in Seattle on Halloween in 1998, about four years before he was found dead in his Seattle home on April 5, 2002.

Other reports claim that the singer’s last photo was taken by his mother, Nancy McCallum, on February 14, 2002, and featured him rocking his newborn baby nephew Oscar. He reportedly looked even more sickly in that photo which is yet to be published, and there are several reports about the singer missing an arm at the time of his death.

Layne Thomas Staley (born Layne Rutherford Staley; August 22, 1967 – April 5, 2002) was an American singer and songwriter who will go down in history as one of the greatest rock music artists of his generation. He was the original lead vocalist of the music group Alice in Chains and enjoyed a glittering musical career that spanned fourteen years from 1984 to 1998. Staley, like several musicians, had his demons and struggled with a terrible drug addiction.

So how did the talented musician go from looking hale and hearty to looking like he did in the last photo that was taken of him before he was found dead in his home? Read on to find out what happened as well as the real truth about his arm.

Where Was Layne Staley Found Dead?

Layne Staley was found dead in his Seattle home after the police had gone with his mother, Nancy McCallum, and her ex-husband to the late singer’s home after Nancy had contacted them to say that she had not heard from him in two weeks.

Nancy herself had been contacted by Staley’s manager, Susan Silver, following a call she (Silver) had received from his accountants to inform her that the Facelift crooner had not affected any withdrawals in the two weeks leading up to the call.

When the police eventually broke through to the apartment, they found the partially decomposed body of the singer and were only able to identify him through the medical examiners who compared his dental records. Staley’s mother later revealed that though she was not entirely surprised when she got the phone call about her son’s whereabouts, she was slightly worried.

Her worry stemmed from the fact that two days before she got the phone call, she had gone to the late singer’s house to inform him of the demise of Demri Lara Parrott, Staley’s former fiancee’s brother, but got no response when she knocked on his door. She returned after the call, and after she still got no response, she was then compelled to inform the appropriate authorities.

When Did Layne Staley Die?

Based on the events that led to the singer being found dead, several sources have arrived at the consensus that Layne Staley died on April 5, 2002, which was about two weeks before the call that led to the finding of his nearly decomposed remains.

That date has also been verified through autopsy and several interviews, one of which involved Alice in Chains bass player, Mike Starr who claims to be one of the last people to have seen Staley alive.

According to Starr, he had spent time with Staley on April 4, which was Starr’s birthday, and during the time they spent together, he noticed that the singer was very sick but he was adamant in his refusal to go to the hospital. This refusal to have himself properly checked out by competent medical personnel led to an argument between the pair, and Starr stormed out angrily.

The bass player recalls the singer calling out to him and urging him not to leave in that manner but he was too high and angry to listen. Starr also revealed that he regretted his decision to preserve their friendship and not call the hospital himself after Staley had threatened to end their friendship if he made the call.

His regret was mainly a result of the fact that Staley died the following day, at the age of 34, about three months before his 35th birthday. Mike Starr ended his interview by apologizing to his friend’s mother, who was also part of the interview, for not calling the hospital when he had a chance to. She reassured him of the fact that there was nothing to forgive by insisting that no one in the family blamed him for the singer’s death.