Frank Micelotta/ImageDirectLate Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley would’ve turned 52 Thursday, and to mark the occasion, Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan has declared August 22, 2019 Layne Staley Day in the city.
According to a proclamation signed by the mayor, Layne Staley Day is meant to celebrate the musician’s “artistry and the promotion of the arts in Seattle as we work toward a more vibrant, healthy and safe city.”
The proclamation also recognizes Staley’s “legendary” voice, as well as Layne’s parents Phil and Nancy, who started the Layne Staley Memorial Fund in honor of their son after his death by overdose in 2002. The fund raises money, awareness and education to treat heroin addiction.
Staley sang on Alice in Chains’ first three albums — 1990’s Facelift, 1992’s Dirt and 1995’s Alice in Chains — and established the band’s iconic harmonized vocal style alongside Jerry Cantrell.
Following Staley’s death, vocalist William DuVall joined the band, and AiC has released three more albums, the most recent of which being 2018’s Rainier Fog.
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