Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots Has Been Found Dead

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Earlier this past Thursday night, former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland was found dead on his tour bus in Minnesota, according to TMZ. Weiland was due to perform with his band Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts at Minnesota's Medina Ballroom, when the show was cancelled.

Reps close to the band state Scott was found on the bus at around 9PM on Thursday shortly before he was to go on stage.

The news was tweeted by Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction, who wrote, "Just learned our friend Scott Weiland has died. So gutted, I am thinking of his family tonight." But was then subsequently deleted. This morning, the official statement came via Scott Weiland's social media pages. It read: "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."

The frontman formed Stone Temple Pilots in 1989 with Robert DeLeo, and they rose to fame throughout the early 90s with songs like “Vasoline”, “Interstate Love Song” and “Creep”, becoming one of the most prominent bands of the post-grunge era. They released five albums between 1994 and 2001, and scooped a Grammy in 1994 for “Plush”, but broke up in 2002.

Weiland also teamed up with Gun N Roses members Slash, Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan during breaks from Stone Temple Pilots, to form the rock supergroup Velvet Revolver. Together, they released two albums across a six year period, including 2004 hit “Fall to Pieces”, and won a Hard Rock Performance Grammy.

Away from success, Weiland was known to have a complicated struggle with drugs and alcohol throughout his time as a musician. He was arrested for purchasing crack cocaine in 1995, and revealed details about his experiences with heroin during Stone Temple Pilot days in his 2011 memoir.

Over the course of his career, his bands sold almost 50 million records worldwide, and there is no doubt that he will go down as one of alt-rock's most charismatic and captivating frontmen.