Alice in Chains original bassist, Mike Starr, Dies.

Alice in Chains bassist, Mike Starr.

Some very sad news today, as I launch the Vae Solis blog with the death of Alice in Chains bassist, Mike Starr:

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Mike Starr, the former bassist for Alice in Chains has died, according to police.

Police have confirmed that they checked a residence at 1:42 p.m. at 1986 South Richards Street in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, where they discovered Starr's body.

He was 44 years old.

The cause of death was not immediately known.

Starr was arrested for illegal prescription drug possession in Salt Lake City in February.

Starr was the original bassist for Alice in Chains a rock band that made its mark on the "grunge" scene with roots in the Seattle area. He left the group in 1993. Another original band member Layne Staley, died from a cocaine and heroin overdose in 2002.

Starr appeared in 2010 on the VH1 cable reality show "Celebrity Rehab" after suffering from a heroin addiction.

When they emerged, Alice in Chains hit me like a baseball hat in the face. I can still remember the very first time I heard them at a Carcass show on Miami's South Beach. The track was from a promotional EP, 'Killing Yourself', and was called 'We Die Young'. That opening riff just slammed me in the gut, every note, drum, and vocal was saturated in disillusioned fury.


It went straight to my head, stayed there, and never left.


AIC's debut album, while not as technically well-executed as the polished works that came later, stood out as a true masterpiece; a unique and disquieting journey into social angst and interpersonal dystopia that had few, if any peers. It served as a major cross-over album as the band left behind the LA glam scene and carved a burning path into the Seattle grunge scene. For me, the LP heralded an inevitable departure from what was feeling more and more like a weak, adolescent death metal/grindcore scene that just wasn't holding my interest anymore. Along with other Seattle greats like Screaming Trees, Nirvana, and Soundgarden, the grunge scene had an indelible effect on me and who I was, much like anyone else at the time who experienced it during its hey-day, and I can honestly say I love the stuff today just as much as I did when I was 17.


And as far as I'm concerned, nothing has really come along since that even comes close to it, which makes losing these early pioneers all the more painful. Mike was cut loose after the unforgettable 'Dirt' release, with the band citing Starr's poor contributions. Personally, it wouldn't be till AIC's last studio LP, the self-titled 'Alice in Chains', that I would be able to appreciate their material again; something was lost when Mike was fired, and was never really regained, but I'm more than grateful for what we have still to savor from this incredibly talented group.


The only thing that brings me comfort is knowing that Layne Staley, who passed away in 2002, now at long last finally has a worthy mate in the here-after to keep him company till the rest of us catch up.


Rest in Peace, Mike Starr, and thanks for the kick ass legacy you leave behind you.