Mike Starr of Alice in Chains Dies

On Tuesday, former Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr was found dead in Salt Lake City. Starr, who was 44 at the time of his death, is well-known for having played on some of Alice in Chain's most popular and critically praised albums, including 1990's "Facelift", which has been certified double-platinum and 1992's "Dirt", which has been certified four-times platinum. He is also well-known for having appeared on season 3 of the VH1 reality show "Celebrity Rehab."

AIC guitarist Jerry Cantrell and AIC drummmer Sean Kinney, who recently released an album under the AIC name (with a different bassist), released a statement regarding the death of their former bandmate.

"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."

Dr. Drew Pinsky, the host of the 'Celebrity Rehab' series, wrote the following message on Twitter: "Devastating to hear of Mike Starr succumbing to his illness. So very sad. Our prayers are with his family."

According to a CNN report, the cause and manner of death were not immediately known, but Starr's roommate told TMZ.com on Tuesday that Starr was mixing methadone and anxiety medication just hours before he died. According to the report, "Law enforcement sources tell us Mike's official cause of death has yet to be determined."

Former Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley died back in 2002 from a drug overdose. Starr admitted on an episode of 'Celebrity Rehab' that he felt guilty for Staley's death. Starr is supposedly the last person who saw Staley alive. Starr claimed that he had known Staley was very sick but did not call 911. Staley's mother Nancy McCallum, however, told Starr on the show that she does not blame Starr for her son's death; "Layne would forgive you," said McCallum. "He'd say, 'Hey, I did this. Not you.'"

(Sources: People.com, TMZ.com)