Lead singer of Alice in Chains died of heroin, cocaine overdose

Layne Staley, the lead singer and guitarist of Alice in Chains, died of an overdose of heroin and cocaine, an autopsy has determined.

Staley, 34, an admitted heroin user, was found dead April 19 in his condominium in Seattle's University District.

He died April 5, according to the King County Medical Examiner's Office.

The autopsy lists "acute intoxication of the combined effects of opiates (heroin) and cocaine" as the cause of death, which it labeled accidental.

Seattle police went to Staley's condo after a relative called to say she hadn't heard from him for several weeks. Officers found Staley's body on a couch, and drug paraphernalia nearby.

Drugs were part of Staley's life for years. On Alice in Chains' 1992 album "Dirt," five of the 13 songs were about the cycle of heroin addiction.

Staley stopped performing in about 1996, but his attraction to heroin never slowed.

Peter Blecha, former director of Experience Music Project, has said Staley was one of the greatest rock voices of all time.