I don't connect with most celebrities and the ones I do are usually dead (at a young age) and/or before my time. I feel I was born too late and missed out on their presence in the world (Jim Morrison for example). Layne is someone whose presence I got to feel, briefly, while he was still alive. I feel I know Layne Staley's soul from many past lifetimes. I am very sure of this. It's not just an emo thing. Although I like Kurt Cobain, and feel sympatico toward him, I do not feel a soul connection to him at all. I just don't "recognize" Kurt. He is not of my "soul group", or something like that. Layne and Jim are my "soul group". That is the best way I can explain it.
/confession
IOW, he is still a presence I continue to feel to this day and has had some influence on me both good and bad. It is like he isn't even gone when I watch a video. It just draws him nearer to my heart and conscious awareness
Edit: Not to sound too crazy but it is my strong belief that Layne is already back on earth, as it was not his last lifetime. He in a new body bringing the lessons he learned in that lifetime into the present. The personalities are similar but not exactly the same. The essence IS the same. He is still struggling but there is no danger that he will not take what he has learned and make different choices. He WILL choose a different path this time. Just call this a hunch. I am not a lunatic. LOL If I try to get a sense of Jim, I get no sense of where he is now. Nothing feels solid about him even when I focus to find his energy in the world. Maybe he chose to sit this one out. Anyone who lived during the 60s deserves a break. That was huge.