Scott Weiland, the American musician whose mercurial vocal style was a signature of the rock band he helped start, Stone Temple Pilots, and later Velvet Revolver, died on Thursday in Minnesota. “At this time we ask that the privacy of Scott’s family be respected”.
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Weiland’s latest band, Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts, had been scheduled to perform Thursday evening in Minnesota. Of heroin, he said, “The opiate took me to where I’d always dreamed of going”.
American rocker Scott Weiland has died at the age of 48.
Weiland, 48, was the Grammy-winning frontman for a string of prominent rock bands, most notably Stone Temple Pilots. They released two gold-selling singles, “Slither” and “Fall to Pieces“, on their debut Contraband LP.
Weiland defined Stone Temple Pilots, often abbreviated as ‘STP, ‘ a band that technically existed between 1986 and 2013 but enjoyed its greatest success in the 90s.
Weiland made headlines after Stone Temple Pilots went on hiatus because of his substance abuse issues following their 1996 album “Tiny Music…”
The reports have yet to be corroborated by Weiland’s publicist or social channels at press time.
However, Weiland struggled openly with addiction to drugs and alcohol, checking in and out of rehab centres on several occasions throughout his career and often missing live dates.
In 1995, he was arrested on suspicion of possessing cocaine and heroin and completed a rehabilitation program.
Former MTV VJ and longtime radio personality Matt Pinfield wrote on Facebook “I am speechless … and sad at the loss of my friend, and although many of you are probably not surprised”.
Our thoughts are with Scott’s family at this hard time. He also released four studio albums, a cover album and a live album as a solo artist.
The Stone Temple Pilots eventually reunited in 2008, a year in which the singer was sentenced to eight days in jail after pleading no contest to a drink driving charge.
Weiland was arrested for a D.U.I.in 2003 and 2007.
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Weiland is survived by Noah and Lucy, his two children with ex-wife Mary Forsberg, as well as his current wife, Jamie Wachtel, whom he married in 2013.
