Scott Weiland, ex-singer for Stone Temple Pilots, dead at 48
Roy Jurgens on
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Scott Weiland, best known for helming 1990s and ’00s hard rock acts Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, died late Thursday in Bloomington, Minn. His death was confirmed to the L.A. Times by his wife, Jamie.
Weiland, who was in the midst of a tour with his latest band, The Wildabouts, had long suffered from substance abuse and legal problems which plagued him throughout his storied career.
A statement on Weiland’s Facebook page 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, Minn., with his band the Wildabouts. At this time we ask that the privacy of Scott’s family be respected.”
Possessing a rich baritone, Weiland escaped his early grunge trappings to display a wide palette of vocal styles, dabbling in blues, metal, ’70s psychedelia, country, bossa nova and indie rock.
Born Scott Richard Kline in 1967 in San Jose, Weiland formed Mighty Joe Young with brothers Robert and Dean DeLeo in Orange County in 1986. After a couple of lineup changes and a new moniker, the band, now called Stone Temple Pilots, released their debut “Core” in 1992. Capitalizing on the grunge sound of the day, the album became a hugely successful hard rock staple, selling more than 8 million units.
Their follow-up, 1994’s “Purple”, broadened their sound while receiving critical acclaim their debut did not. The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard and sold over 6 million copies while the track “Plush” won a Grammy Award.
In 1995, cracks began to show within the STP camp, as Weiland’s battle with substance abuse led to several run-ins with the law and his eventual incarceration. The band continued to tour and record with great success despite Weiland’s legal troubles until infighting with the DeLeo brothers led to the band’s demise in 2003.
In 2002, Weiland was approached by Guns n’ Roses members Slash, Duff McKagen and Matt Sorum with the intent of forming a new supergroup, Velvet Revolver. Their 2004 debut, “Contraband”, was a Billboard No. 1 out of the box and spawned the Grammy winning hit “Slither.” Their 2007 follow-up, “Libertad”, failed to set the world ablaze and by the spring of 2008, due to various incidents between Weiland and the rest of the band, Velvet Revolver was no more.
Weiland and the DeLeo brothers made amends and Stone Temple Pilots returned to touring and recording in the summer of 2008.
For the next four years, Weiland flirted with a return to Velvet Revolver, recorded solo albums, contributed to various other projects, while continuing to perform with Stone Temple Pilots. By 2013, old tensions resurfaced to the point of where Weiland was fired from the band. To Weiland’s fierce objections, Stone Temple Pilots re-formed without him later that year, having hired Linkin Park singer Chester Pennington as the band’s frontman.
Weiland leaves behind a wife and two children.
[…] Weiland, 48, died late Thursday after being found unresponsive on his band’s tour bus in Bloom…. The former singer of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver had a long and well-chronicled history with substance abuse problems, but today he was being remembered by the rock community beyond his skills as a dynamic frontman for his generosity, enthusiasm and charisma. […]