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Alice In Chains guitarist Mike Starr has been found dead at his home in Salt Lake City.
Starr, who was 44, played with the American rock band from its formation in 1987 until 1993, performing on multi-platinum albums “Facelift” and “Dirt”, which spawned hit songs like “Man In the Box”, “Would?” and “Rooster”.
The guitarist, who led a life marred by drug addiction, left the group in the early 90s due to his struggle with heroin addiction, and he appeared on the third season of VH1′s “Celebrity Rehab” in 2010.
He was arrested last month for illegal possession of prescription drugs.
The cause of death was not immediately known.

Mike Starr.

Former Alice in Chains bass player Mike Starr has been found dead at a house in Salt Lake City, he was 44.
Police said officers responded to a call on Tuesday about a possible body at the residence but added there was no sign of foul play involved.
Starr was the original bassist when the band formed in 1987. But left in 1993.
In a statement, the group said members were ‘mourning the loss of their friend and ask that the media respect their privacy during this difficult time’.
It was not immediately clear who owned the home Starr was found in, nor who phoned the police.
The medical examiner’s office will conduct a post-mortem examination on Wednesday. But the results of toxicology tests could take up to two months.
The bassist left the band shortly after the release of its breakthrough 1992 album Dirt, while his former bandmates went on to greater success.
The group took numerous breaks due to the drug problems of lead singer Layne Staley, who later died of an overdose in 2002.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNf1hRkVnM4&feature=fvst

‘In ain’t so bad,’ except now Alice in Chains rockers Mike Starr and Lane Staley are both dead. Both suffered from severe drug addiction.
‘Not like this, don’t leave like this,’ were the last words Mike Starr remembered hearing from Lane Staley as he left him alone, sick, and suffering the day before Starr’s 36th birthday. Mike Starr never seemed to forgive himself for not calling 911 to get help for his friend. Lane Staley was 34 when he died.
Now Mike Starr is dead too. According to police, his body was found yesterday afternoon in a Salt Lake City home. Three weeks ago, Salt Lake City police arrested the Alice in Chains bassist for illegal drug possession.
Doctor Drew Pinsky, who famously tried to cure Mike Starr of his drug addiction at the Pasadena Recovery Center two years ago in a story featured on VH1’s Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, responded via Twitter.
“Devastating to hear of Mike Starr succumbing to his illness” – Dr. Drew Pinsky tweeted. “So very sad. Our prayers are with his family.”
Starr’s friends in Seattle say the talented musician’s death at the age of 44 has a lot to do with his family.
“My thoughts go out to his family, with the exception of his ‘father’ who used Mike for his royalty checks to get drugs (crack & heroin) and cheap hotels until the money ran out. Then he was back again by the time the next check showed up” – wrote Tom.
Another friend, Kim, also said Mike Starr’s dad contributed to his death. “Mike’s dad was an enabler and a user of Mike’s wealth. It saddens me terribly” – she wrote, adding, “These two were truly wonderful guys and I will miss them forever.”
Weeks before his death in 2002, Lane Staley talked about the impact on his life of his own father’s drug use.
“My world became a nightmare, there were just shadows around me. I got a call saying that my dad had died, but my family always knew he was around doing all kind of drugs. Since that call I always was wondering, ‘Where is my dad?’ I felt so sad for him and I missed him. He dropped out of my life for 15 years.”