We are sad to report the death of former Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr, whose body was found earlier today in a Salt Lake City home.

Via TMZ:

Police tell us Starr's body was found in a Salt Lake City home today. Cops say they were called to the house at 1:42PM.

Formed in 1987 by guitarist-singer Layne Staley, guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Starr, and drummer Sean Kinney, Alice in Chains drew from a mixture of grunge, metal, and even folk for a rich, bleak sound that appealed to fans across a variety of genres. They quickly grew to be among the best known of Seattle grunge bands and soared easily to multi-platinum sales with albums like 1992's Dirt.

Ultimately, a combination of factors ranging from drug abuse to artistic differences led to changes in line-up, and former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Mike Inez stepped to replace Starr before the band recorded their third LP.

Details to follow as they are made available …

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