Mike Starr as seen on Sober House.

Bass player Mike Starr, one of the founding members of the seminal grunge band Alice In Chains, has battled drug addiction and demons for the last few years.  He was a fixture on both Celebrity Rehab and Sober House, two VH1 reality shows in which addiction medicine specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky attempted to help various celebrities beat their addictions to drugs and alcohol.  Mike Starr did not end up being one of Drew’s success stories.  Former Alice In Chains bassist Mike Starr was found dead at age 44.  The cause of death is not known, but given his history, it’s probably something related to drugs.

“Jerry and Sean are mourning the loss of their friend and ask that the media respect their privacy — and the privacy of Mike’s family — during this difficult time.  Their thoughts & prayers are with Mike’s family,” read a statement released by Alice In Chains.  Jerry and Sean are Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney, the other two founding members of Alice In Chains.  The band’s original lead singer, Layne Staley, passed away in 2002 of a drug overdose.

Mike Starr was the last person to see Layne alive, and he’s been feeling guilty over Layne’s death since that time.  I’d imagine that hasn’t helped him in his battles with drugs, all things considered.

Image:  SMH.com.au

Tags: Alice in Chains, Mike Starr, Mike Starr dead at 44, Alice In Chains bassist Mike Starr dead at 44, Celebrity Rehab, Dr. Drew, reality television, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, Sober House, reality tv, VH1, bass player Mike Starr dead, Salt Lake City, Utah, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney

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