Legendary rock icon Scott Weiland, the former lead singer of a number of rock bands, including Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, died in his sleep Thursday night. He was 48 years old.
A message shown on Weiland’s official Facebook page said he had died in Bloomington, Minn. while on tour a tour stop with his latest band, Scott Weiland and The Wildabouts. The message reads:
“Scott Weiland, best known as the lead singer for Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, passed away in his sleep while on a tour stop in Bloomington, Minnesota, with his band The Wildabouts. At this time we ask that the privacy of Scott’s family be respected.”
Weiland’s manager, Tom Vitorino, told the Associated Press he had learned of Weiland’s death from the singer’s tour manager, but did not provide further details.
Weiland fronted one of the most successful grunge bands of the 1990s in Stone Temple Pilots, but was also dogged by problems with substance abuse throughout his career.
Stone Temple Pilots’ 1992 debut, “Core,” has sold more than 8 million units in the United States. Their hits include “Vasoline,” ”Interstate Love Song” and “Plush,” which won a Grammy in 1993 for best hard rock performance with vocal.
Amid the band’s stream of successes, Weiland had a long string of drug and alcohol related arrests and stints in rehab. In 1995, he was arrested after deputies found him carrying crack and heroin. He pleaded guilty to felony heroin possession in 1998. And his arrests for drug possession and stints in rehab led the Stone Temple Pilots to cancel tour dates and contributed to their 2003 breakup.
After the band split, Weiland joined former Guns N’ Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum and former Wasted Youth guitarist Dave Kushner to form the supergroup Velvet Revolver. Weiland departed Velvet Revolver in 2008 to join the reunited Stone Temple Pilots.”The story’s not finished,” Weiland told The Associated Press at the time. “There’s more to be revealed and more to be told.”
In 2011, Weiland released his autobiography,“Not Dead & Not For Sale”. The title was taken from the lyrics of “Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart”, one of Stone Temple Pilots’ best-known songs.
