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Alice in Chains regrouped to record an eponymous album sometimes referred to as "Tripod," (largely due to the image of the three-legged dog, Sunshine, featured on the cover) released late in 1995. To accompany the album, the band released a home video, ''<i>The Nona Tapes</i>'', in which they poked fun at the rumors of Staley's addiction – several sources had announced his death during the hiatus, [[Charles R. Cross]] would later say that they had Staley's obituary on stand-by at [[The Rocket (newspaper)|The Rocket]] – but the band lapsed again, failing to complete tours planned in support of the album. When asked about the frustration of not touring to support the record, [[Jerry Cantrell]] provided some insight into how Staley's addictions led to repercussive tensions within the band: "Very frustrating, but we stuck it out. We rode the good times together, and we stuck together through the hard times. We never stabbed each other in the back and spilled our guts and do that kind of bullshit that you see happen a lot".<ref>Christopher, Michael. [http://www.popmatters.com/music/interviews/cantrell-jerry-021226.shtml "Degredation Trip: An Interview with Jerry Cantrell"]. ''popmatters.com''. [[26 December]] [[2002]].</ref>
Fans saw firsthand the effects of Staley's drug abuse during the band's Unplugged appearance. Staley was visibly weak and emaciated and had problems singing at times, nevertheless he was received by the audience with a loud and well deserved cheer and applause, louder than anybody else in the band had recieved. At Unplugged, he needed a lyrics sheet by his side to remember the lyrics. At one point early in the show, he forgot the lyrics and Alice in Chains had to start the song over. His last performance was on [[July 3]], [[1996]], in [[Kansas City, Missouri]], while they were touring with [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]] after their [[Unplugged]] appearance. In October, Staley's former girlfriend, [[Demri Lara Parrott]], died from secondary complications caused by drug use ([[bacterial endocarditis]]). Many who were close to the singer believe this to be the point at which Staley abandoned any attempts to assuage his addiction. He was reported to have been placed on a 24-hour suicide watch according to NME magazine, which quoted, "a friend saying Layne was taking Demri Parrott's death 'extremely badly' and had fallen into a deep depression".<ref> [http://www.adbdesign.com/aic/articles/art066.html "Alice in Chains Frontman Under Suicide Watch"]. ''adbdesign.com''. [[28 November]] [[1996]].</ref>
===Final years: 1997-2002===
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