On April 5, 2002, the music world lost a true musical great when Alice in Chains vocalist Layne Staley passed away. To mark the anniversary of his passing, Loudwire spoke with a number of musicians about Staley's death and Alice in Chains' impact upon them. In the clip above, you'll see Mastodon's Troy Sanders and Bill Kelliher speaking specifically about Staley's death and his amazing talent.

Sanders starts off the discussion, remembering exactly where he was when he heard the news that Staley had died. The Mastodon bassist-vocalist counts Alice in Chains among his favorite bands and he discusses how the death struck him. Speaking about Staley, Sanders adds, "He was easily one of the most unique vocalists and lyricists ever of all-time. It's a total bum out and I can't believe it's been 15 years." He also credits Alice in Chains for sticking around and forging ahead after Staley's death, and recalls one of his favorite tours ever with Mastodon joining Alice in Chains and Deftones on the "Black Diamond Skye" tour.

Guitarist Bill Kelliher digs more into the music that Staley made with the band, explaining, "There's something really special about Layne Staley's vocals, especially with Jerry Cantrell. It was an eerie, almost premonitional lyrics with a lot of his songs. Listening back now after he's passed away, it's like 'Man in a Box,' it's almost spooky." Kelliher counts himself as a fan of the group and adds, "The world really lost a true amazing singer that day."

Watch the Mastodon members discuss Layne Staley in the video above, and be sure to click the red button at the bottom of this post to see more tributes to Staley on the 15th anniversary of his death.

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