I was always a huge Alice in Chains fan. The lead singer, Layne Staley, died on April 5th, 2002, from a heroin and cocaine overdose. In 2006, I read the only biography that existed about Layne. The book was very thin and most of the content was already public knowledge, but it appeared that the author had some kind of access to Layne's family and childhood photos.
I contacted this author and asked if anyone was working on a film based on Layne's life. I was very interested in writing a screenplay about Layne, and to make a long story short, this author wanted me to write a film adaptation of her book. I made it very clear that there wasn’t enough original material from her book, but she promised to put me in touch with a woman who was in a relationship with Layne during his final days, which I later learned was not true.
I was so immersed in Layne's life and music that I even read a book called The Bad Place by Dean Koontz, which was rumored to have scared Layne into a cold-turkey quit of heroin while recording the album Dirt.
Next thing I know, my name is on a press release that announced my involvement in a movie about Layne Staley based on the book. This press release was published worldwide on music websites and was talked about on radio stations. To this day, I still receive random emails from Layne’s fans asking about the status of the movie. I always kindly state that I am not involved and direct them to the Layne Staley Memorial Fund at www.THS-wa.org. If you do a web search for "Eric Moyer Layne Staley,” you will find hundreds of these links about my alleged involvement, which was sadly a publicity stunt by the author and publisher to sell more copies of the book.
My heartfelt apologies go out to Layne's family for the confusion, and I even reached out directly to clear this up. I will always be a Layne Staley fan and would love the opportunity to write this screenplay someday, but only with their blessing.
Please support the Layne Staley Memorial Fund that was set up by his mother to help others with addiction. More information can be found at www.layne-staley.com.