Former Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr has been found dead in Salt Lake City on Tuesday at the age of 44.
The musician had recently appeared on VH1 reality show Celebrity Rehab which chronicles a group of celebrities as they undergo alcohol and drug addiction.
He was arrested in Salt Lake City last month in relation to a
previous drugs charge and on suspicion of carrying unauthorised
prescription medications.
According to CNN, the cause and manner of death were not immediately identified.
Alice in Chains was an iconic Seattle-based band that made its mark on the grunge scene of the early 1990s.
The band’s original singer, Layne Staley, died of a drug overdose in 2002.
Twitter was soon ringing with tributes for the dead musician.
‘Devastating to hear of Mike Starr
succumbing to his illness,’ tweeted Dr Drew Pinsky, who treated the
musician on the VH1 show and its spin-off, Sober House. ‘So very sad.
Our prayers are with his family.’
Steven Adler, one-time drummer for Guns N’ Roses, tweeted: ‘RIP Mike Starr. Such a sad day.’
Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx also tweeted: ‘RIP Mike Starr. Another fallen soldier to addiction…’
A post-mortem is being carried out on Starr, but the results of toxicology tests could take up to two months.
