Scott Weiland, Former Stone Temple Pilots Singer, Dead at 48

Scott Weiland, the former frontman for rock bands Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, has died, his Facebook page confirmed early Friday morning (Dec. 4).

"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," a post on Weiland's Facebook page reads. "At this time we ask that the privacy of Scott’s family be respected."

Dave Navarro, guitarist and member of Jane's Addiction, first tweeted the news at 9:01 p.m. PT on Thursday night: "Our friend Scott Weiland has died." (He has since deleted the tweet.)

Weiland and his latest band, Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts, were scheduled to tour this month with upcoming dates at Reno, NV on Dec. 18 and City Winery in Napa on Dec. 19.

The Bloomington, Minn. Police Department issued a statement at 11:15 p.m. PT detailing the events as such: On Dec. 3rd at 8:22 p.m., officers responded to a report of an unresponsive adult male in a recreational motor vehicle located in the 2200 block of Killebrew Drive. "Officers arrived and determined the adult male was deceased," read the release, which did not identify the deceased. The address seems to correspond to a local Country Inn & Suites hotel.

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office will continue investigating the death with updates to come.

Weiland turned 48 on Oct. 27. He long suffered from substance abuse issues.

A California native, Weiland formed the band Stone Temple Pilots with brothers Robert and Dean DeLeo and saw huge commercial success in the 1990s. In 1993, the band’s debut album Core peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 followed by an even bigger achievement a year later in 1994, when STP released the No. 1 album Purple, which contained several radio hits including the songs “Big Empty,” “Vasoline” and “Interstate Love Song.”

The band would eventually land 11 top 10 hits on the Alternative Songs chart, including the three-week No. 1 "Between the Lines" in 2010. "Interstate Love Song" led the Mainstream Rock Songs chart for 15 weeks.

Featuring Weiland’s distinctive lower register singing style, a sort of growl that grew ever more popular in the post-grunge years, STP went on to sell 13.5 million albums in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music, but infighting eventually drove the members apart. The band took the first of several hiatuses just a few years after reaching their apex of their popularity, during which Weiland participated in several side projects.

Stone Temple Pilots would carry on in various incarnation in the coming years. Most recently, the group recruited Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington to handle frontman duties. He announced his exit from the group on Nov. 9.

In 2002, Weiland joined former Guns N' Roses members Slash (guitars), Duff McKagan (bass) and Matt Sorum (drums) in a supergroup called Velvet Revolver. They released an album called Contraband in June 2004 and another in 2007 called Libertad, the last to feature Weiland on vocals. Combined, they sold 2.4 million units.

By then, Weiland had weathered several public run-ins with the law, mostly due to drug use and driving under the influence. In 1995, the singer was convicted of buying crack cocaine and sentenced to probation. In 2003 and 2007 Weiland was arrested for D.U.I. Heroin was also a drug of choice for Weiland, who had check into a rehabilitation facility but did not finish the program, according to reports around 2007.

Tributes to the late singer have been pouring in from all over the music world. Former MTV VJ and longtime radio personality Matt Pinfield wrote on Facebook “I am speechless … and sad at the loss of my friend, and although many of you are probably not surprised, it doesn't make it any easier. Addiction sucks. I will miss you Scott.”

UPDATE:

Scott Weiland Bandmate Tommy Black Arrested After Cocaine Is Found on Tour Bus

When Bloomington, Minn., police discovered the body of Scott Weiland early Friday morning (Dec. 4), The Associated Press confirmed they also found a small amount of cocaine nearby, onboard his tour bus. In a new development in the case, Weiland’s bassist, Tommy Black, has been arrested and booked for possession of a controlled substance.

The substance was identified as cocaine, found inside Black’s area of the tour bus, close to where Weiland’s body was found.

Black is being held at the Bloomington Police Department, pending these charges. According to his LinkedIn profile, Black is also the manager of the Los Angeles club/venue the Viper Room, a position he's held since 2002.

Days prior to his death, TMZ reported that Weiland -- who had long struggled with substance-abuse issues -- had relapsed into crack cocaine usage, along with heavy drinking.

Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts, were scheduled to tour this month, with upcoming dates in Reno, Nevada, on Dec. 18 and City Winery in Napa, Calif., on Dec. 19.

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office are continuing to investigate Weiland’s death, with updates on the way.

UPDATE:

Scott Weiland's Bassist Tommy Black Won't Face Drug Charges

Tommy Black, the bassist for Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts, will not face drug charges relating to the death of his bandmate and former Stone Temple Pilots frontman.

Black was arrested by Bloomington, Minn., on Dec. 4 for possession of a controlled substance after authorities found cocaine in his area of the tour bus where Weiland was found dead.

"[The narcotics] were found in a bunk and obviously with several people residing on a bus a number of people could have potentially possessed those narcotics, so at the end of the day we decided not to pursue charges against him," Bloomington police chief Mike Hartley told People.

Black was reportedly released from jail a day after his arrest.

Weiland, 48, died of a "mixed drug toxicity: cocaine, ethanol and methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA),” according to a press release from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office.

Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts were touring North America at the time of the singer's death.