A few Memories of Demri
77 comments Feb 3, 2009 | Demri, Featured, Personal Stories, Pictures, Tributes
People always ask me questions about Demri.. like what she liked.. so I thought I’d talk about some of the things I remember that she liked..Demri was a HUGE fan of the Cocteau Twins
She also liked the Cure, Violent Femmes, Janes Addiction and she was personal friends with Perry Farrell from Janes Addiction.
She loved to create crafts like paper collages and decoupage which is where she’d cut out Victorian styled angels and fairies and flowers.. usually from real pretty wrapping paper, wallpaper or whatever she could find (stuff like this) and then she’d use decoupage clue and clue them all to boxes, antique makeup totes and carry cases. She loved to surround herself with art and pictures.
She’d also cut out pictures and then plaster the walls in her apartment and then later in her hospital room with all kinds of art collages and hanging dried flowers. She loved dried flowers and incesne. But Demri was a not a hippy, goth, grunge girl..she was her own creation. She was the “it” girl in Seattle in the early 90’s and anyone who knew her and the club scene at the time I doubt would argue with me on that.
You can see an example of the type of stuff she did in these pictures..not her stuff but you’ll get the point I think.
Decoupaged Suit Case
Paper project..so Demri
She liked cupids, hearts and anything Victorian for example these Victorian clip art.
In the early 90’s she dressed in all kinds of crazy yet cute clothes anything retro or vintage. She loved long dresses, skirts, tutu’s, over-alls and doc martins, hand-made clothes, she never really wore jeans and t-shirts it was always something you’d never think of wearing but looked great on her and made you wish you would thought of it type of thing but even if you had of it probably wouldn’t of looked as cool on you..haha. She had that tiny little body that looks great in clothes.
She always wore her hair really long like too her butt or longer and she had thick wavy auburn hair and even though it was usually knotted and dred locked here and there but knotted or not it always looked cool. She wore black nail polish and when she wore make up she used maybe some black mascara and red lips but she didn’t usually wear a lot of make up maybe except for lipstick when she went out. She was also the first girl I met who used her lipstick to add blush to her cheeks.
She also wore Patchouli oil and oil perfumes..which I’m not a fan of myself but it smelled good on her and she definitely had a very distinct smell. Her whole house smelled like her, her clothes, and if she stayed at my house.. my house smelled like her too. It was not a bad smell not at all just uniquely Demri. She always looked adorable even when she wasn’t trying.
What else can I say.. the girl was unique and amazing and since she was older then me..I always kind of looked up to her so if it sounds like I’m idolizing her her.. I’m not. I know Demri had her faults and I believe me I was not blind to those but we all do and why talk about those over and over when she’s gone forever, what good does that do?
I want to remember the funny, sweet, beautiful parts of her and share those things with the people who are interested and from the stats on this post it sure seems that there are a lot of people who are interested in knowing more about who Demri really was.
I just wanted to add a little more and to shed more light on who she was as a girl and not just the tragedy. She was so much more then that….
Not just another site..
Follow Us..
The AIC Boys
Demri the Fairy Goddess
Hi Barbara. I have a question about Sadie. The story that has been widely spread on the internet is that Sadie was Demri’s cat and Layne took her after Demri died. But I also read another story that Sadie was Layne’s cat since the beginning and she didn’t like women, not even Demri. So what is the truth? And if she was indeed Demri’s cat, so why Demri’s family didn’t keep her after Layne died and she ended up with Jerry Cantrell instead?
Sadie was Layne’s cat. He got Sadie as a kitten from Mara (Whelan). Layne and Demri wanted to have a baby girl one day and name her Sadie, so when Demri found out Layne had named his kitten that she was furious because that name was supposed to be reserved for their daughter. Also, Demri was allergic to cats
I was trying to put my last name on the above and spell check and it posted. This tablet acts up when it’s downloading.
If I post anything I have no problem putting my last name on things and my email is my name at Gmail and on FB.
I was peturbed because people know me as the Amber that was friends with Demri and by just saying “Amber” and spewing hate I know people who know me know it’s not me (I was told someone was pretending to be me since I don’t talk that way or use words like “folks”), but people who don’t might.
I loved Demri flaws and all. I was there for good and bad. Demri could always reach me and did and I moved around a lot. I was her cheerleader and saw all her potential just like I do in others. We are here once and what a great thing if we could all reach our goals and follow our dreams.
Demri may have had to do some bad things because of addiction but we all have done things here and there but it’s certainly not who we are.
Demri was in the hospital at least 13 times I was there and for months on end so there wasn’t a lot of time out of the hospital that she could get in trouble.
She was an addict for many of the years I knew her but I didn’t know her as that or see her as that as we did do pretty normal things.
Demri was just a girl who wanted to follow her dreams, (They changed but one was to be a Soap Opera actress and especial play twins so she could do more acting), she wanted to marry a man she loved, have kids and live on a block with all her friends so we could watch eachother’s kids, garden together and borrow sugar. I am sure that block included her mom and gpher brothers, sister, cousin, dad, granparents, etc. Because she LOVED her family dearly and her friends like family.
Demri did not hold grudges even when horribly wrong cuz she got that humans aren’t perfect.
If the other “Amber” (with no last name) thought those things of Demri he/she didn’t know her that well because I don’t think any of us would describe her as that. By “Us” I mean Fab, Xana, Melinda, Juliet, Simone, Mara, Barbara, Darren, Kathy, etc. (It’s late I know I am forgetting people). If that is all you got from Demri that’s sad.
As for the “heart” remark Demri had a huge one, a huge conscience and a soul. If she hurt you in anyway I promise you she did feel bad and was thinking of a way to make it up to you. She knew she wasnt perfect. She thought once she made it big as an actress she would make everything right. She would have done anything for a friend or family member or a stranger even if it was bad for her. I miss her everyday. 20 years for some reason still feels like yesterday.
You are a genuine friend, Amber. Reading some of your memories, I can feel the love you felt for both Demri and Layne. Someone up above knew they needed someone like you.
Thank you Amber for your great comments & descriptions. In the early 1990’s ,like 1992 or 1993 I would go to the Green Cat Cafe in Capitol Hill and met a waitress. who was apparently the then girlfriend of Jerry Cantrell. Do you recall her first name?
I never leave comments, but I really felt the need to leave one now. I grew up on grunge here in the midwest, dreaming what it would be like in a far away city like Seattle or San Francisco. Grunge wasn’t so cool here in Oklahoma in 1992, but it felt like the real me. Remember the first time I heard Man In a Box on the radio, I thought his voice was something from heaven. I am so happy I stumbled onto your site. You have something very special here. It takes me back……
OMG amber– why do you care??? We all know u know nothing and it’s painfully and embarrassingly evident. What a sad, miserable person you. Barbara rocks, her site rocks, her personality rocks, what she’s doing rocks, and your the bitter black negative SLUG slopping your soiled butt all over her beautiful page. Get the hell outta here with your dumb ass. YOU LOSE!!! hahahah
Sarah, You are a bitter old hag and never knew Demri or Layne. How did you turn out so bitter or is it post menopause that turned you into a negative shrew and a lazy harridan?
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for keeping this up over the years. It really has become an inspirational collage of tales. I have a couple questions for ya!
1) Do you have a “fondest memory” of your time with layne and demri?
2) You site your children as your inspiration for quitting heroin. How long were you using? Can you elaborate on your treatment, as far as how long it took, which (if anything) rx drugs you used to help kick, and how you were able to not relapse. Do you have any struggles today or is that chapter closed?
Sorry if this is prying. I have found it inspirational to read about the struggles of your grunge group, and success stories are as important as the failures.
After I initially commented I appear to have clicked the -Notify me when new
comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added
I receive 4 emails with the same comment. There
has to be a means you can remove me from that service?
Kudos!
demri era una hermosa chica muy linda tanto fisicamente como espiritualmente era linda por fuera y linda por dentro es mi AMOR platonico es una lastima no la pude conocer tengo 18 años le dedico con mucho cariño esta estrofita de cancion
siento dentro que se acaban mis dias
el siguiente heroe que yo puedo ser
no quiero leyendas de valentias
ni medallas por cumplir con mi deber
y que hago aqui mirando al cielo
a diez mil kilometros de tus besos
besando banderas abriendo fuego
cabando trincheras y te echo de menos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fni_5bdKycQ
como ya dije demri me parece muy hermosa y naturalmente bella y sin hacerse cirugias ni nada ella nacio bella fisicamente y tambien esperitualmente tenia muxo carisma mucha dulcura era ella muy artistica y hermosa fisicamente la AMO es de verdad es mi amor platonico se parece a mi exs novia demri conquisto mi corazon LA AMO es una lastima no haberla conocido era muy niño asi que le dedico una cancion
siento dentro que se acaban mis dias
el siguiente heroe que yo puedo ser
no quiero leyendas de valentias
ni medallas por cumplir con mi deber
y que hago aqui mirando al cielo
a diez mil kilometros de tus besos
besando banderas abriendo fuego
cabando trincheras y te echo de menos…
demri era muy hermosa es mi amor platonico la amo por que se parece a mi exs novia
demri es carismatica angelical y my lindisima
yo amo a demri parrot es mi amor platonico se partece mucho a mi novia demri era una chica sexy hermosa y talentosa
hello barbara soy de chile y quiero decir que encuentro preciosa y dulce a demri.
ella posee belleza natural no kmo aki en latinoamerica ke las misses son todas operadas y remaquilladas y plasticas .Demri no necisto nada de eso era una mujer hermosisima la cual me encanta por su alegria y su dulsura y sonrisa.y su sensiles quiero que asi como yo visite tu pagina que me encanta y te licito por tu pagina tu pases my facebook dedicado a demri adios gracias por tu paciencia deseo salud amor y paz aty y tus seres queridos
https://es-la.facebook.com/people/Elisa-Barra-Castillo/100006121120204
I feel so young compared to all the people that seem to check out this forum… I’m only 15 but I love “grunge” era music and know a lot about the Seattle scene of the late 80s and early 90s. But I just think Demri is so cool. Cooler than Courtney Love or any of the female icons from that time. Xana too. I don’t think her drug addiction is cool though, I’m not that stupid and I’ve read enough stories about aneurysms and heart defects and ODs to see just how UNromantic drug addiction is. I feel like a good way to honor her and make any good come out of her bad situation is to take it as a warning and never get into any of that shit. From what I’ve read, she was so full of spirit. All her friends, even though she got pretty rough towards the end, just don’t seem to have the heart to betray her memory. Anyone that actually knew her talks about how lively she was, and the people that insult her and spew lies and namecalling over the internet are always people that didn’t know her or barely met her when she got bad. A lot of people just wanna blame her for all of Layne’s problems too, but it seems like they both unintentionally wore each other down. I think it was just a bad situation that she fell into. She acted accordingly to work with her situation. Even if she made bad choices, that doesn’t make her evil and infamous, and if it does, then Layne might as well have been too, because he just tried to work things out and find comfort in his situation just like her. They’re not villains and criminals for trying to fix themselves on the inside. She’s definitely a positive spirit. She’s like the Pamela Courson or Pattie Boyd of the 90s. She’s my fashion icon. I just love raking sites like these and learning as much as I can about her. Even though she wasn’t any technical kind of artist or musician or celebrity, her style and legacy is like an art. She inspires me to be more lively and crazy and have fun, and to be more kind and sincere and make friends like she and Layne did. I grew my hair out long like hers, and I wear long skirts, and I’m not self concious about being loud and exotic and showing myself off because of her. Do you know any names of the stores where she used to shop? Even if they’re not still in business, like clothes, furniture, art, pretty much any place she went? Or what music she listened to? Thanks! 🙂
oh wait I see what music she listened to Duh it’s there
“….Can’t wait to visit your website.”
Exactly.
Sex & Drugs & Rock n Roll
Ian Dury and the Blockheads
Thank you.
Hi Barbara: Quick Question…
I know from reading that Demri had heart trouble and a valve replacement, however, did she have the heart trouble before she started using drugs or did it happen because of it? Was the initial heart problem congenital? Thank You.
Barb,
Not to beat a dead horse on the addiction both were afflicted with and not to dehumanize one of my favorite singers of all time…when Dem and Layne met, were they both addicts, did one get the other involved with the evil needle? I can only imagine how rampant heroin was back then…
I only ask because I hate hearing it from posers and thought you could give insight to the early, good years in their relationship…
Lastly, what or when did they break off their relationship…she was beautiful!!!
Thank you for the website and the chance to get to know more about Layne and Demri. I am 44 yrs old and still listen to Laynes music every day. AIC became my favorite band, and was very saddened when I learned of laynes death. I guess in my older age, I just recently became interested in knowing more about Layne and Demri. I am so jealous you have the facelift platinum album!!! That is so awesome! I think you are an awsome friend and person Barbara. Ive enjoyed reading the stories. Did layne ever talk to you about what he wrote about in his songs? Was there ever a memorial made for Layne?
There is a handwritten note from Demri posted on this site http://grungereport.net/?p=15708
Barbara,
Thank you so much for this website and for the memories. I am 42 and was in Seattle (and still am) during the mid-90’s. I did not know Layne, Demri, etc. but enjoyed the Music, Art, and feeling of the “Small Town Seattle” during the 90’s. I spent my 20’s with my 1st husband and friends, going to shows, bars, having parties in our apartments on Yale Ave (below Eastlake) and Valley Rd (Lower Queen Anne), and generally making some great and some not so great memories. My 1st husband was lost to heroin. He is alive (as far as I know), but his life has been as good as done after getting into the drug more than 15+ years ago. I divorced him after he left one day never to return. I was lucky enough never to have tried or used the drug. My life has turned out really well and my love of Seattle remains. My love of all that made that time special is also very, very much alive. As I said, I never met Demri, but even so many years later, I find that her style is still alive in many of us “Old Timers” Hee Hee 🙂 I love my boots, my thermals, and my Lavender, Vanilla, and Patchouli oils. When I read about her and Layne (and Mike, Mia, Kurt, etc) I get very introspective…like it’s a time I want to return to and REALLY appreciate the GOOD that it was… the freedom, the feeling of creativity, the fun! So, thank you again. Thank you for letting us who were there at that time, doing our own thing with our own friends have the good memories and not just the sad ones. I hope this makes sense. Peace & Love to you. 🙂
Wow, Demri was such a beautiful young woman. Even though I never knew her, it makes me very sad that she is gone. From all of the stories I’ve heard about from you Barbara, and from other people that knew her, she seemed like such a cool person! I would have loved to have had a friend like her. I actually have a couple of questions if that’s alright. First, Demri’s last name is Parrott, but I’ve read from other places that she also went by “Murphy”. And then in her obituary it says her mother’s name is Kathleen Austin; and her father is Dennis Dougherty. So, why is she sometimes Murphy, but most of the time Parrott, and why does she have different names from her parents? The other question was, when she passed away, was it somewhat unexpected; or was her condition considered “terminal” and everyone knew she was going to die soon? And hopefully, she didn’t die in pain, and was it at least peaceful?
If these are personal questions then I apologize, and understand if you don’t want to answer them. But I’m just curious.
Listening to some aic and researching Layne and Demri tonight. I have an unexplainable connection to their relationship, although I never knew them or of them until long after their deaths. Maybe, the angst in Layne’s pictures and the passion in his lyrics after her passing remind me of the passion I used to have, the love I once felt, the tragedy of youth’s love…gone and not recoverable. I think I am like many others, I want them to have been soul mates, I want them to have been better then me and better than they were, i want them to have been the relationship and the people I can’t be. I want theirs to be an unbroken bond between a beautiful woman and a man with and a voice that touches my life and my soul everyday.
Well said. You just spoke for millions who feel the same. Peace out.
It is so very sad and hard to make some sort of sense of. You could say their lives touched the lives of those that knew them, of course, but also the lives of so many they never even knew or met. In that sense, they are immortal and have left behind lessons for many, just as you said. It certainly sounds as if they were special to you, and impacted your life. Thanks for sharing lots of positive information about them on here. Sorry for the loss of your friends, Barbara.
Demri sounds as if she was an amazing person, but many sources point to her as Layne’s demise. Were they truly good together, or were they addicted to each other? It sounds as if they shared a lot of special times, but that they morphed into being really destructive influences on each other over time. I have read many times that she refused to clean up. Why? She seems to have had a lot going for her, and a general zest for life. Could both Layne and Demri have possibly survived, if they had been able to untangle from each other in the later years of their relationship? Might they have then gotten clean and survived? No matter the situation, it ended up very sadly for both of them.
Unfortunanrly we’ll never know the answers to most of your questions.. I truly believe the right people are put in our lives to teach us some lessons or for us to teach some lessons too.. To answer whether I believed they were really good for each other or not or why she would not clean up and most all the other questions.. I just don’t know. I don’t know.. it’s a sad story but it is what it is and it was their life and they both choose to live it how they wanted to live it. We all have that right even if it is a horrible way in most of societies eyes. 🙁
Barb,
Not to beat a dead horse on the addiction both were afflicted with and not to dehumanize one of my favorite singers of all time…when Dem and Layne met, were they both addicts, did one get the other involved with the evil needle? I can only imagine how rampant heroin was back then…
I only ask because I hate hearing it from posers and thought you could give insight to the early, good years in their relationship…
Lastly, what or when did they break off their relationship…she was beautiful!!!
I say… it was addiction speaking in most everything they did, their relationship, who they became…everything .. they both had the disease addiction… chronic, terminal addiction.
But Layne couldn’t help her more? I don’t want to sound disrespectful and I’m sorry for my bad english, but they had the same issue so Why Layne didn’t support her anymore at a certain point, knowing she had to do horrible experiences ? Why this poor girl was left alone while ha had money enough for the both of them?
Layne DID try to help her, he did the best he could, but it’s not that easy.
Some people just can’t get out, deep down they want to, but addictions changes people, and like I said some can’t get out. Money sometimes is not enough, Layne himself said that.
Sadly, Catherine, you are so right. Some people don’t understand what drugs (in my experience with my ex-husband, heroin) does to people. I’m sure it’s similar with all opiate based drugs more than any other. I’m going to guess that Layne would have and did all that he was capable of doing at the time. 🙁
hello barbara como va tu dia yo not speakin inglis nott understenden primero te felicito por tu pagina.yo tambien soy admirasora de demri me parece una mujer hermosa y dulce no nesesita grandes cantidades de maquillaje para ser bella no kmo aqui en latinoamerica que las misses son operdas y re operadas x ke algunas son feas de cara y les colocan kilos de maquillaje no kmo demri que no necesitaba una gota de pintura para ser bella ella si era una verdadera REINA era bella naturalmente era alegre sensilla encantadora sonriente y pequeñita como dicen el perfume fino viene en frasco pequeño bueno es un agrado pasasr a visitar tu pagina esta todo bien informado
bueno hasta luego que tengas un buen dia salud y cariño ati y atus seres queridos
a y asi kmo yo te visite con mucho agrado te pido que pases por mi facebook dedicado a demri parrott y asi compartir interes
https://es-la.facebook.com/people/Elisa-Barra-Castillo/100006121120204
yes it did answer my question, thank you! it’s nice to know she had friends she could stay with who looked after her. she sounds like she was a fun girl 🙂 it’s also cool that you got to hang out with a bunch of rockstars! not to mention date one of them lol.
Babara, where did you first meet Demri at? I come on here all the time, i just can’t get enough of your site and the memories on here!
Candice, Thank you for visiting the site and it makes me so happy to know people enjoy it. The first time I met Demri was at her and Layne’s apartment.. Mike Starr brought me there. 🙂 Right away me and Demri hit it off and then after me and Mike broke up… I started dating a guy named Darin Lamb and he was one of Layne and Demri best friends and me and Darin spent a lot of time with them. Also when Layne went on tour Demri would come stay with me and Darin.. basically as a favor to Layne. 🙂 We were supposed to keep an eye on her and keep her company basically while he was gone… Anyway, Layne trusted Darin with Demri and he wanted to know that she was with someone he could trust and Darin took good care of her so I understand why Layne trusted Darin with her and Dem loved Darin..me and Darin were together for 2 years. Anyway, I hope that answers your questions.
I chanced upon this site looking up stuff about layne on his death anniv. I was still pretty young when all this happened, I’m 25 now. But I’m so touched by their story.
Thank you for coming and for leaving a comment. It means a lot that people like the site and are still touched by their stories. 🙂
Any links under the headline “Respect” doesn´t work. Do divageekdesigns still exists? Of course It could be so that my computer is not working so well all the time.
Yes, Divageekdesigns.com does still exsist that is my webdesign website and where I used to blog before Layne passed away and I made this site and moved everything over.. I’m not sure why Google still lists that link or wherever people are getting it. But everything I’ve ever written is here in this site. I think you might be looking for this post..
http://www.rememberlayne.com/blog/2009/02/respect-the-dead/
It was something about their friendship and when Demri was in a hospital. Actually I don´t remember if it was surely Fabiola, there were then some other people remembering her as well. They were quite long posts and that´s why i´m interested about them.
It might of been one of these two posts..
http://www.rememberlayne.com/blog/2009/02/respect-the-dead/
or
http://www.rememberlayne.com/blog/2009/06/itch-love-stories-about-heroin/
I have been wondering why i can´t read earlier comments anymore from some other visitors of this site . Of course, if those contain anything negative comments about Layne and Demri, it is considerable you don´t want to keep them expose. I remember it was at 2009 when Fabiola posted some her memories about Demri. But those were very heart-warming sentences…..
What Memories did Fabiola post?
Barbara, thank you for the website and your personal recollections of Layne and Demri.
I love the pics of Demri. Do you know if anyone has any videos of Demri that they might share someday? What did she sound like? Did she have a soft or loud voice? Squeaky and high (childlike)? Low and sultry? Nasal?
You mentioned once that she loved patchouli oil, was that the main scent she wore?
Do you remember if Layne had a certain scent? Favorite cologne?
I lost my dad to lung cancer in April 1997, and a few years after he died I was doing a project at work that required me to go to a local manufacturing plant for a tour. Walking into the main area almost made me drop to my knees. The smell of metal and sweat reminded me of my dad so much that after I left I sat in my car shaking and crying. I never thought I would smell that scent again, but there it was. Scent memory really is powerful.
Anyway, I’d love to hear/read anymore memories that you’d like to share with us. Thanks again.
D
Hello from Finland, and thanks very much for this website. At first, sorry my bad english…
It was long time ago when my friend introduced me this wonderful band, Alice in chains. Unfortunately, it was after Layne´s death, something like in 2003. I was very curious about everything what I could find of Layne´s life, and when i found these stories of this beautiful woman called Demri i was totally stunned. Actually, after all Layne had the most incredible voice i have ever heard, i´m more fan of Demri at these days! Well, i was born in 1985 but i still wish that Demri and i could have been friends. I would like to know almost everything about her, and to see more and more new pictures. She is the most beautiful woman i have ever seen, and it is quite hard to believe she fell into serious drug addiction so young and died in terrible way. I hope that i´m not too curious, but i have few questions: was this parrott-thing one of her real names, or was it just a nickname? Do you know is anyone gonna make a book about her, even just a book with a photos of her? And what are her friends like Pony or Fabiola doing these days? They seemed to me very sweet persons as well. I also hope her mother is doing well after all her loses. Thanks again and take care
All cats are grey, I’m really happy to hear you enjoyed the website. Sadly, we’ll never learn everything there is to know about Demri.. because her story is over and only Demri could tell us everything there is to know about Demri…and everything else you’ll read online is just personal perspective of who Demri was or who they thought she was.
I understand why people admire famous people or in Demri’s case infamous people. We admire them for their talents, beauty and/or brains but I think you should also try to look to family and friends to find your heroes and/or muse and I bet you know someone in your life who is just as beautiful as Demri or maybe even as talented as Layne but because of their life paths they never became famous or infamous. So, when you think of that person that you know… Do you want to know everything there is to know about them? Probably not. But you should.
Demri’s real name was Demri Lara Parrott as it is engraved on her headstone. She was young and beautiful and full of sparkle. She was loved by many and she will never be forgotten by those who knew her and hopefully now by those who only knew of her. I also hope people learn something from her life and from her death, if nothing else to stay away from drugs and to love themselves. To love life and to love people! To smile as much as possible and to laugh even when you want to cry.
..had demri curly hair ?
her hair was really long like too her butt or longer and she had thick wavy auburn hair and even though it was usually knotted and dreadlocked here and there.. but knotted or not it always looked cool.
hallohallo, Haha! Did you know her? Because that is a perfect description of her hair. 🙂 she did not let her hair dred and knot up on purpose but she still somehow made it look cool.
Duh I was just re-reading all these comments and this post.. and NOW I see that you were just quoting my description of her hair from my post… Haha! DOH!
What was her favorite color?
Really? Sorry to say but that is kind of a silly question but one I actually get asked allot.
Who knows what her favorite color was? I don’t even know what MY favorite color is…
But if I were to guess I’d say she loved the colors of the rainbow!
I feel like I know Demri just from reading about her. She is so inspiring and wonderful. I would be so grateful to hear more stories. I have one question though, what was her relationship with the rest of the band like?
-May
Would love and see more. Thank you. D
Hi thanks so much 4 this site to Layne.Im a dieheart Alice in Chains fan.Im so interested in Layne and Demri.I think she was beautiful and It pisses me off the shit people talk about her after shes dead.Come on.Let me tell ya I did alot of shit that I cant even believe I did now.Ud surprise urself what you'll do when your addicted to something that badly and you need it to basically funtion.No ones perfect and It saddens me that her nor Layne didnt pull through.I often wonder if they even had the support.His words and music have helped me in my Opiate addiction.Im 26 and Ive been injecting since I was 18.I was wondering and I never read this anywhere but did Layne or Demri try methadone to help get off heroin?Ive been on methadone for the past 5 years and its saved my life.I dident do heroin.I was addicted to morphine,dilaudids.Pills like that mostly.I live in Newfoundland,Canada which alot of people have never even heard of!!Pretty hard to get heroin around here but none the less I was severly addicted to Opiates and I can deffinatly relate.I developed gangering in my arm from well a blown hit as we addicts down here would call it and I nearly lost my arm and the infection was starting to poison my whole body but luckily I never died nor lost my arm although I have a really bad scar,Im very lucky.I was just wondering if this is what caused Demri's death.I believe everything you say to be true Barb and fuck whoever els that just wants to run their mouth and talk shit.No fucking way she was bitchy.A heroin addict needing a fix??No way,I dont believe it!Duh!Thats a no brainer there.U want to see someone bitchy then Christ I can think of a million addicts who are pricks but thats it and thats the way it gets when you get hooked.Your not a ray of sunshine,happy go lucky,frindliest person in the world.Its a miserable life and I know that 1st hand and I guess they were probably miserable themselves so why act happy when their suffering.R.I.P to Layne and Demri. ps, Barb im so interested in your stories and everything you have to say.please e-mail me when you have some free time.Id love to hear some more of your stories about them.thanks again
This was asked a couple years ago but since I never answered I wanted to do it now…
Demri did receive Methadone in the hospital when she had endocarditis. Endocarditis is a heart lining infection which can be caused by injecting drugs and is what eventually killed her. She had open heart surgery and a pig valve in her heart by the time she was 25-26 years old and she died when she was 27. When people say she was a bitch well that’s because she probably was a bitch to “them”..because like you said that’s what happens when your life is a mess. She was not always like that. That was not her true personality… it’s just how she had to be sometimes to survive.
In regards to if Layne ever took methadone, he used buprenorphine to kick but he also tried methadone as well. I know because he put my boyfriend and I in contact with a doctor at a pain clinic in Bellevue, WA back in the early 90’s before Suboxone and Subutex came out.. when it was still prescribed under the name of Buprenex. Buprenorphine is a wonder drug for addicts. I highly recommend if you have a drug addiction to opiates that you look into this treatment.
Thanks for the site with the nice memories and pics. Don't sweat the idiots who come in to rant and rave at you or what you have posted. For those of us that lived hard and made it through the dankness into the light it's not exactly easy to recall exact dates, etc… Hell, when you go years without even paying attention to dates, don't keep track of time, just living day to day in your own little world partying for years it's pretty unimaginable that you would be able to remember specific details in crystal clarity.
I always found Layne's singing and lyrics so haunting and heartfelt, always a little curious about the women that inspired some of the best songs from Layne and Jerry's writing…nice to finally hear a little more about her and Layne.
To those people that speak of drug addicts only in the worst possible way, or those who speak of dead like they're saints…it's not that easy. Being the friend, family member or significant other of a drug addict is a brutal role to be in…I know all too well, considering my wife is an opiate addict of several years.
Rest in peace Layne and Demri and to the person running this site, thanks for sharing all that you have and hopefully you'll continue to share more of the good and bad that was their life.
Mac
Always wondering while in over your head and running away. Studying people until they bore you. Does anyone know you? If you would have incorporated something of yourself into your music, you might have eclipsed the sun
Barbara,
Your work on the site and the memory of your friends is moving. Fans of the site have asked for more about Demri and Layne. Can we talk about a few ideas I have to deepen your efforts and my own exploration into two lives whose beauty and mystery suggest a connection with a different plane.
I look forward to your response. Reply to this post or email me @ IAmNakedEric@gmail.com
-NEa href='#comment-15'>@admin –
I cry now that I read about her…about them…and I don't know why…is it because it's so unperfect and beautiful…or because it's unbelievably hard to keep up to a 4ever love…they were a tiny and true part of nature, wild at heart and weird on top. I was really asking myself for some time now…whom did Layne love in his tumultous life…there …found a terribly real sad beautiful story…makes me believe in magic and little angels and cupids…thank you…it's like I read a fairytale now..and I can go to sleep and dream it further. Thank you The Beautiful People.
admin is awesome.
It's hard for me to envision Demri at 40 myself.
@Jacque – I can't believe she would be 40! That's just hard to fathom her at 40. Makes me feel young and then again it makes me feel lucky as well. I wish she could of lived to see her children because mine have given me so much joy. Thank you powers that be and Happy Birthday Demri I hope your celebrating in heaven.
Happy Birthday Demri! 🙂
The big 4-0. Happy Birthday Demri!!!!!!! Rest in Peace!
I know that Layne & Demri were engaged, do you know how he proposed?
I'll just re-post my reply to this bitch again on this site since she seems to be posting it everywhere…flame war!! My favorite! Except in this case I'll always win. Once I reply to this..I'm banning her IP unless some of you are interested in hearing more of her evil hatred against people who are no longer with us and can not defend themselves…personally I don't want to read that trash and she can have all the bad karma not me. No Thanx.
Ok, Amber check it out. If you don’t like Demri and you have issue with me then go start your own website called IhateDemri.com with a sub-domain called Barbara-sucks, I don’t care.
You don’t know me, you don’t know what I’ve done in my life, you have no clue who I am. OBVIOUSLY. Your just another hater. Give the poor girl a break she’s dead, isn’t that enough for you or do you need to rub it in about what a bitch she was?
Of course she was a bitch. I KNOW THIS!! She was a junkie hanging out with devious junkies so she couldn’t exactly be sweet and innocent now could she? She would of been run over, taken advantage of etc.. She adapted to her enviroment just like we all do and if you don’t believe I was there I could give a rats ass and Kathleen does know me so you obviously have not asked her.
I started this site because I wanted to remember the good times of two friends I lost…before the drugs turned them into something they never wanted to be. I met them when I was 19 and now I’m 36.. this is long past history we're talking about go away with your drama. I could write about the shitty things I saw and did with them but WHY???? I could write about the over doses and the stealing and the prostitution and the cheating lying blah blah but we all know those stories. Fuck it.
I don’t care if you don’t like it and that goes for anyone. These memories belong to me and if I want to talk about them, post about them, miss people, miss times I had when I was young, whatever the hell I want to do then I’m going to do that.
I’m sure Kathleen thinks your comments are just so super fantastic. I’m sure she wishes even more people would post what a good for nothing junkie Layne and her daughter were. Believe me or not but stop posting here, if you want to start your own site about what shitty people they were your more then welcome to do that. But seriously FUCK OFF!
Oh and no none of these pictures are mine. WHY..hmm..because I lost everything I owned more then once because I was a wild ass kid and I also can be a evil BITCH and I also WAS a scandolous evil little shit but I was lucky enough to change, I was lucky enough to find that thing that filled the hole in my heart that wasn’t drugs and that was my children. Demri and Layne..were not so lucky. If you want to go on and on about that do it somewhere else.. oh and BTW I did however manage to save and protect one gift through out my wild years and it’s my platnum AIC album, presented to me with my name engraved in it. So stick that in your asshole and smoke it BITCH!
Can’t wait to visit your website.
barbara, i kinda remember hearing that she was or had been really into the whole 27club. have some recollection someone said that, not layne…i dont remember him ever talking much. Just laughing. the man liked laughing! heard a few words by his mates to not beak his heart kinda stuff, i feel he was a real family man or woulda become..loyal, comforted being with band…it was lonely heart that killed them both. that heroin back then was like shooting the devil.
And over the past 7 years Barb has said more factual mistruths that even "only fans" know are wrong. All the pics are someone else's and as everyone learns more about Demri, she elaborates a bigger story about Demri. Kathleen Austin has no idea who she is (Demri's mom). It's straight BS folks and the archives of LiveJournal have it all kept for posterity. See how many stories of the pictures change and the dates are so not accurate and then there is the stuff like "Layne had a stepsister and a half sister.. wrong !! full sister and a half sister and Jaimie his half sister would really not appreciate more misconceptions being fed to the masses. Anyway I did know Demri and I saw her go from being a regular teenager at 15 to being sent away and returning a manipulating, drug addicted, steal from the store steal from her friends, straight hooker without a heart, wretch of a human being. It's okay to remember the good in people but this blog is straight bs from a poser. Enough already. Layne was dating someone else when she died.
hey! found this trying to find photos of that red tarten flop hat i had..for FNO sept 8..grumge is back!
admin girl photo…kinda remember her face…MAYBE..
Thanks for remembering me in your post. Still love the guy! BTW!!!…he always acknowledged Demri as his true love…and bummed out about her death. For some reason I remember meeting you at that 24 hr. place where they had yummy tomatoe soup,,mimis?. k…have fun. xoxo
i never met Demri. I do remember someone…laynes friend with hilbilly accent and long brown hair who watched out for me told me the venue had known demri name from prior shows and give her name because i was under age. Then it was weird…people who never met her or saw her were coming up to me backstage as demri. I remember it being a bit of a laugh with mike. I do think Layne was always planning to get back with Demri. I dont think it was ever meant in truth by layne to be over…just a break, but intense. i do believe that the breakup is what killed them both..reason behind over medicating. I always remembered Laynes kindness toward me but always brewing…thinking about demri…sort of in and out of conversation…for the seconds he didnt think about missing her…i got a glimpse. never knew about the pachely oil…but that makes total sense why he felt comfort having me around…i was a hippy kid from cali…i always was wearing that kinda scent stuff..lol.
ps..odd its raining nonstop in nyc and fashion weeks gone glam/grundge. i miss it there! nyc isnt as fabulous as that little window in time between off ramp and rock candy. capital hill house parties…having breakfast at that 4am pancake place beths? where u can color…and every moment looking back to that year or so in the university distric where magical and a close knit group i still call friends to all those godwilling alive…
I don’t remember another Amber, but maybe I wasn’t paying attention or maybe you have to pretend you’re me, the Amber that WAS friends with Demri, her mom, grandparents, brothers, aunts uncles cousins, friends etc. because you can’t be truthful.
Don’t worry now that I see what you wrote I don’t blame what was said. GO BABS!!!!
The thing is with Demri’s REAL FRIENDS we stick up for each other. I would never be mean to Barbara or call her names. I have no reason to and besides if you know her like you pretend to you would know Barbara can beat herself up over things that were in her past. I would never judge her, we all make mistakes, its called life and I think she’s pretty wonderful. If I were the judging type I would not have the friends people know me to have. I dont want a robot or sheep for a friend. I grew up in Vegas and people all around me had unconventional jobs or lifestyles so things don’t shock or enrage me, like you seem to be.
Demri didn’t like mean or bitter people. She would be nice to you cuz that’s how she was. I didn’t know Demri when she was 15 but would run into her when I would come up in the summers. Even into the 90’s she wasn’t anything like what you are describing. The only person I ever knew who did not like her was Cami who didn’t know her back in High School or Rachel who claimed to be Layne’s girlfriend.
I don’t know about the archived things you are mentioning but we didn’t walk around with calenders documenting our friendships and what day things happened. As for me I will be talking with usually Fab and she will remind me of something I forgot. I’m not changing anything I can’t remember every single day of my life as I am sure Barbara or anyone else can, except for the rare people with that talent. That’s kinda a ridiculous thing to say. Obviously dates are important to you since you mention following Barbara for 7 years.
I just looked at the pictures as I haven’t seen that before and Barbara did a great job on them and I saw nowhere that she claimed they were hers. I was at hers and Darren’s and knew her when she was with Mike and in my head I have recollections pictures. A band in Vegas stole a box of my stuff that had all those goodies in them when Layne and Demri left (staying with me at The Lakes house and went to rehab in Wickenburg). People tend to do that when you have cool stuff or you loose it, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Lots of people can vouch for Barbara. She has nothing to prove to anyone. If she wasn’t friends she’s doing a good thing a spreading good will why the hate??????
I knew Jamie, haven’t seen her since her boyfriend, Demri, Layne and I had coffee and a Jim Carey movie up on Queen Anne but I can’t imagine Jamie being mad over something so insignificant. She has a yoga studio so I am thinking she is still pretty chill. She knows what she was to Layne she doesn’t care about validation. He wasn’t a Rockstars to people who knew him, in fact he and Mike never acted like it, it was their job not all of who they were.
Kathleen has a job with a ton of patients plus her own friends, plus Demris friends so she may have not known who you were talking about at first if you even did talk to her but the thing is there is a core group of people that know each other and were friends with Demri. One of the things Kathleen and I always talked about when seeing and talking to each other was if either had heard from Darren and given he dated Barbara for years and they are still friends I highly doubt she would or could forget Barbara esp. since Kathleen and Rosheen’s mom became good buddies and Barbara and Ro grew up together.