A Tribute to Layne

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A tribute to Layne Staley:

Words alone cannot express the sorrow we should all feel from losing someone who was so special. Yet he probably didn't know or see just how meaningful he and his gifts truly were to all of us. He lived in a hellish world consumed by loneliness, uncertainty, and loss. His life was fueled by despair and regret. Only the One truly knows of his pain. Few can comprehend the full magnitude and depth that loneliness weighed upon his life. He was misjudged by his peers and taken for granted by those closest to him. He died in his home alone, not being found by anyone for quite some time.

Leaving behind a tarnished image of someone consumed by a life he so desperately wanted to escape from, instead of the portrait of the artist he truly was and should be remembered as being.

However we all should understand this lesson from this injustice-for it is one that confronts us all inevitably in the end. Who you are in this life matters- not what you look like in its form. Let the things you say echo forever in the hearts of those you inspire. Instead of holding on to false representations of who you wish to be, go forth and shine the light given to you by God. Without regret or remorse. For in truth, many of the selfless and compassionate acts we bestow upon one another shall go largely unnoticed, unheralded, or without any measure of gratitude. Thankfully, this man chose to leave behind his music for us- to listen to the man behind the words and not just be heard with jaded ears.
Let him be forever known for giving a glimpse of hope to good souls and artists wanting to create beauty for a world consumed by darkness and degradation.

May you rest peacefully forever my brother with the comforting knowledge of what you accomplished and what you were selflessly trying so hard to do, those efforts did not go unnoticed. And those wonderful acts shall not go unsung.
Alas, it seems you finally are where you truly belong- among the angels in Heaven's paradise. Hopefully we will all see and hear you again. That is a hope held most dear to me. I pray that those who judged you unfairly with malice or ignorant indifference will see what a beautiful human being you truly were.
Let them weep for missing out on what we, your fans and friends, came to know so very well all along.

-SaintLee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrVMhDhWD08

A Video Tribute To Layne

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