Stone Temple Pilots Bid Farewell To Scott Weiland: ‘Part Of Your Gift Was Your Curse’
Amid the tide of farewell tributes by fans and contemporaries of former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland, the singer’s former band mates came together to craft their own heartfelt goodbye to their fallen friend. As reported by Inquisitr, the 48-year-old, platinum-selling artist was found unresponsive on his tour bus in Bloomington, Minnesota, on Thursday night. He was later pronounced dead by local authorities. While an official cause of death has not been determined, longtime fans of Weiland’s work in Stone Temple Pilots and other bands are well aware of his long running, self-destructive struggle with addiction.
Indeed, Weiland’s inner demons were referenced in the open letter written by his former Stone Temple Pilots associates. Guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo, and drummer Eric Kretz issued their statement in the hours following Weiland’s death, beginning with a nod to their collective accomplishments as one of the most influential bands of the early 1990s. The statement was posted on the band’s official Facebook page and it was also re-published by Rolling Stone and other outlets.
“Let us start by saying thank you for sharing your life with us. Together we crafted a legacy of music that has given so many people happiness and great memories … With deep sorrow for you and your family, we are saddened to see you go.”
Later in the tribute, the men noted that Weiland’s ultimate legacy was shaped not only by the heights of success but also through the his personal trials and tribulations.
“The memories are many, and they run deep for us. We know amidst the good and the bad you struggled, time and time again. It’s what made you who you were. Part of that gift was part of your curse.”
Despite the documented history of Scott Weiland’s public problems with substance abuse, his wife Jamie says the singer was clean from drugs at the time of his death, although she did acknowledge that he still drank alcohol on occasion. Celebrity news and gossip outlet TMZ cited a statement by Jamie Weiland indicating that her husband had been clean for “years” and that the members of his new band Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts had a “pact” that they would not do drugs.
Despite the aforementioned agreement, though, there is at least some indication that illegal substances did factor into the overall scene for Weiland’s latest musical foray. A search of Weiland’s tour bus turned up a “small quantity” of cocaine, according to a report by NBC News. Police say that the drug was found in the bedroom where Weiland’s body was found and that it belonged to Thomas Dalton Black, the bassist for the Wildabouts. Black was arrested for possession of a controlled substance by Bloomington police.
Earlier this year, fans feared that Scott Weiland was going down the same path of addiction and self-harm as he had in his Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver days when video surfaced of a botched live rendition of the STP-era hit Vasoline. As noted by Inquisitr, Weiland appeared distant and lethargic, singing off-key during the performance but a representative later downplayed the unfortunate spectacle as a “perfect storm” of a few drinks, equipment problems, and exhaustion.
Weiland’s 2011 autobiography Not Dead And Not For Sale included candid acknowledgements by the singer regarding the impact of his heroin addiction on his stints with Stone Temple Pilots and the post-STP supergroup Velvet Revolver. In excerpts republished by Spin, Scott Weiland noted that had kicked heroin for a while well into his gig with Velvet Revolver but relapsed during their 2007 tour. In a recollection that depicted his fellow band members – alumni from hard rock icons Guns N’ Roses – as largely unsympathetic to his plight, Weiland indicated that he was forced out of the group when he decided to go to rehab.
After his stint in Velvet Revolver, Scott Weiland reunited with the rest of Stone Temple Pilots in 2008. He was fired by the band once and for all in 2013.
[Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images]
