Scott Weiland dies, aged 48

Scott Weiland in 2007. Pic: Edvill/Creative Commons

The ex-Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman died in his sleep on his tour bus in Minnesota last night

The rock world was in shock today after news broke this morning that Scott Weiland, gravel-voiced former frontman of Stone Temple Pilots and supergroup Velvet Revolver, had been found dead on his tour bus after a stopover in Bloomington, Minnesota. He was 48 years old.

Weiland formed grunge/alt-rock heroes Stone Temple Pilots with bassist Robert DeLeo in 1985, initially under the name Mighty Joe Young. They released their first album in 1992 and recorded four further long-players before going their separate ways in 2002, with Weiland’s drug use a significant factor in the split. Weiland went on to form Velvet Revolver with former members of Guns N’ Roses and Wasted Youth, but that band, too, broke up in 2008. There have been various reunions of both bands since, while Weiland also formed a new band, The Wildabouts, and recorded an album with Art Of Anarchy, as well as releasing a couple of solo albums.

In recent times, there have been media reports of erratic behaviour, though Weiland is said to have been clean from heroin since the early 00s. The exact cause of his death has yet to be revealed but some reports suggest Weiland may have suffered a cardiac arrest.

Former bandmates and friends were quick to pay their respects on Twitter today, including Velvet Revolver’s Slash and Dave Kushner, Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx, Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic.

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