Mike Starr Funeral Put On Hold

The medical examiner has told the family of former/Original Alice In Chains bassist Mike Starr that his funeral needs to wait for another few weeks in order to perform more tests on Mike's body. Mike's family isn't going to wait...

TMZ.com is reporting that the family will be holding a memorial without Mike's body this Sunday in Seattle for friends and family to give them a chance to pay their respects early. Once Mike's body is back in the family's possession they plan to hold two seperate funeral services - one for fans, and one for family.

The official public gathering for Starr's memorial will be held on Sunday, March 20th between 4pm and 11:30pm at "The Fountain" in Seattle Center

"The Fountain"
Inside the Seattle Center
305 Harrison Street
Seattle, WA 98109
www.seattlecenter.com

Starr was found dead in a house in Salt Lake City, Utah on March 8th. Starr, who was a founding member of the group and played on its first two albums, was 44 years old. Police who were called to the scene said that foul play was not suspected, but that drugs were found near the body. Starr's father told TMZ.com, "It's a terrible shock and tragedy."

Starr had struggled with drug problems for years and was dismissed from Alice In Chains in 1993 due to his addiction. He had been arrested numerous times over the years for DUI, reckless driving, and various drug charges in Los Angeles, Seattle and Salt Lake City. Just last month he was arrested for felony possession of a controlled substance in the latter city.

Starr was featured as a cast member of the third season of the VH1 reality series "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew" in 2009. Hosted by Dr. Drew Pinsky, the season consisted of eight episodes that followed the real-life experiences of celebrity patients undergoing detoxification and treatment at the Pasadena Recovery Center. However, Starr seemed to struggle once his season on the show was finished.

Starr was Alice In Chains' first bassist and played with the band from 1987 to 1993. He appeared on the band's first two albums, "Facelift" and "Dirt", but left in the middle of the "Dirt" tour and was replaced by current bassist Mike Inez.