I am absolutely gutted to relay the news that former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland was found dead on his tour bus earlier tonight according to a report from TMZ. Weiland was only 48 years old.
I first saw the news on Twitter, posted by Janes' Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro:
https://twitter.com/DaveNavarro/status/672641902185811968
Weiland, who was on tour with his solo band, The Wildabouts, was found around 9pm in his bunk earlier tonight, Thursday, December 3rd, in Minnesota. Weiland was found shortly before his band was about to hit the stage. No cause of death has yet been revealed.
Update: According to audio of the 911 call, Weiland stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest. More info here.
Update: According to local police officials, a small amount of cocaine was found in the room where Weiland's body was discovered. Additionally, another packet of cocaine was found in the bassist's bunk, who has since been arrested. All the info here.
This one hits really close to home. Stone Temple Pilots were a very important band to me during my high school years, and Weiland was one of rock's most charismatic frontmen. Unfortunately, substance abuse issues plagued the singer, leading to years of subpar performances with both bands to the point that he got kicked out of STP and replaced by Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington. Regardless, Scott possessed a talent not many others had. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to wear out my STP collection.
Related: Rockers pay tribute to Scott Weiland
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpg0IPr1N7A[/youtube]
