Layne Staley's death made Alice in Chains' members endure all the struggles and hardships they had never faced before.
Twenty years ago, Staley left the world and his band for good. While losing a frontman could indeed cripple a band, Alice in Chains already moved on long before his passing.
For instance, Jerry Cantrell went solo and released his first album in 1998. Drummer Sean Kinney worked with other bands and musicians like Metallica and Johnny Cash. Meanwhile, bassist Mike Inez contributed to the project launched by Guns N' Roses guitarist, Slash.
After Staley's death, they continued to work on their individual endeavors. But all the members went through a lot despite having gigs unrelated to the singer. The setup continued for nine years, not dropping any music until they reunited in February 2005 to help raise support for the victims of the tsunami in South Asia.
The show led the members to decide to play in more events to see if a reunion without Staley could work out.
In an interview with MTV, Cantrell compared their band to Zeppelin, who broke up in 1980 following the death of John Boham.
"We're not interested in stepping on [Staley's] rich legacy. It's a tough thing to go through. Do you take the Led Zeppelin approach and never play again, because the guy was that important?" he said. "It's completely a reunion because the three of us who are left are back together. But it's not about separating and forgetting - it's about remembering and moving on."
Alice in Chains Continued Playing for Layne Staley
After realizing they still wanted to be a band, the trio began looking for a permanent replacement singer. William DuVall, whom Cantrell worked with on "Degradation Trip," became their saving grace.
Cantrell revealed to Lars Ulrich on Apple Music's "It's Electric" that DuVall immediately popped up on his head when they decided to play again.
READ ALSO: Rapper Goonew's Dead Body Displayed on Club's Stage Weeks After He Was Shot [VIDEO]
When they played for the first time, they reportedly performed "Love, Hate, Love" together, and the new frontman nailed it.
"Sean and Mike looked over at me, and they're like, 'Yeah, OK, I think this guy can be good,' you know? And so that's how everything started," he went on.
Alice in Chains continuously performs while paying tribute to Staley. Despite moving forward with DuVall, Cantrell noted that the late singer would always be part of them.
READ MORE: Thirty Seconds to Mars Return: Jared Leto Says Band Will Surprise Fans Soon With THIS
