The cultures of drugs and music have been inexorably tied together for decades, so much so that it’s become hard to imagine one without the influence of the other.

Some of the peak performances and recordings have been given by artists who were famous for their use and abuse of various chemical substances.

But drugs could also be blamed for robbing the world of some of the bigger talents of the last 50 years.

Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Gram Parsons are just a few of the names that jump out when talking about rock deaths from drug use or abuse.

Former Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley can now be presumably added to that list.

Staley’s body was found in his home Friday. Apparently he had been dead for a few days, as the body required dental records to be identified.

Drug paraphernalia was found near the corpse, suggesting Staley had recently used.

Eric Yarwood, program coordinator for the Maintenance Shop, says it was a particular shame to have lost Staley.

“It was just senseless. He was such a good talent,” he says.

“The guy’s had a lot of problems in his life especially with heroin. It’s just too bad that he couldn’t get the help that he needed.”

Although authorities have not officially released the cause of Staley’s death, the singer was well known for his proclivities toward heroin and other controlled chemicals.

Kyle Drea, sophomore in liberal arts and science and KURE DJ, was upset when he heard Staley had died, but not shocked.

“It wasn’t a surprise. I had known about his problem for a long time and how bad his health was,” he said.

Drea says he had been optimistic that Staley’s family and friends had been helping him make progress.

“I expected more from him and those around him. I guess that’s kind of how it goes when you’re addicted to heroin,” he said.

Dave Stuart, professor in music and teacher of the History of Rock `n’ Roll, says there is definitely a presence of drug abuse in the popular music community.

“The whole idea is that it seems to be more prevalent among some ways of looking at things,” he says.

Stuart says part of the reason so many musicians turn to abuse is their membership in a culture where many “expect things to be over the top.

“The degree of dynamic level of concerts, you can’t just listen, you have to feel the music,” he explains.

“There has to be a certain physical involvement with the music. It has to be really intense,” he adds. “That’s the norm, so you expect it every time. If that doesn’t happen, something’s wrong.”

Stuart said the pressure from living the kind of lifestyle where you’re expected to “be on” every single night has also been shown to lead musicians to abuse.

“If you’re involved in something where day after day night after night have to produce that experience for people, it can affect your behavior,” he says.

Stuart said it could be possible that Staley and others in the industry are predisposed to this kind of behavior.

“People can have addictive personalities,” he says. “One of the issues seems to be prevalently believed that people when they are young are especially susceptible to overdoing or becoming more addictive if they are exposed to substances which can be addictive.”

Stuart says those with addictive personalities don’t always turn to chemical abuse.

“It doesn’t always have to do with drugs. It can be alcohol. It can be relationships. It can even be eating disorders,” he says.

Yarwood said it’s almost become accepted for musicians to turn to drug abuse in the industry today.

“It’s one of those areas where it’s unfortunately a little more accepted in that community for use. I think some of that causes some people to turn their backs and not help those that need it. We’ve lost a lot of people in the creative community,” he said.

Drea says he thinks Staley’s death will bring some attention to his talent and contribution to rock `n’ roll.

“I think a lot of people are gonna look back and raise how great it was, because of the emotion and realness of his words and his voice.”

“He pretty much told it like it was. That was one thing that really made Alice in Chains stand out as far as the rest of those bands. Alice in Chains wrote about depression and drug addiction and the darker side of things. It was always a lot more darker than most bands, but at the same times more real.”

Drea said he’s been a long time fan of Alice in Chains and has even turned his parent on to the band.

Drea’s weekly show on KURE featured a three-hour tribute to Staley.

“It was really emotionally draining,” he said. “I just sat in the studio with a single candle and played every thing I could fit in to three hours.

“A lot of people were calling and talking about the stories and how it affected them.

“If it helped a few people I guess I did my job.”