Scott Weiland, the American musician whose mercurial vocals were a signature of the rock band he co-founded, Stone Temple Pilots, and who later sang lead in Velvet Revolver, died Thursday in Minnesota. He was 48. ADVERTISING Scott Weiland, the American
Scott Weiland, the American musician whose mercurial vocals were a signature of the rock band he co-founded, Stone Temple Pilots, and who later sang lead in Velvet Revolver, died Thursday in Minnesota. He was 48.
His manager, Tom Vitorino, confirmed the death. A statement posted to Weiland’s Facebook page said he “passed away in his sleep while on a tour stop in Bloomington, Minnesota, with his band The Wildabouts.”
The Wildabouts were scheduled to perform Thursday night in Medina, Minnesota, at the Medina Entertainment Center. The show was canceled before its start.
Weiland this year released one album with the Wildabouts, “Blaster,” and the band was near the end of a fall tour of clubs and small theaters. At the height of Stone Temple Pilots’ fame in the 1990s, Weiland commanded large stages.
The band was initially slammed by critics as sounding like a knockoff of popular grunge acts like Pearl Jam and Nirvana. But STP, as the band was known, found its fan base with broody melodies and memorable riffs.
In September 1992, the band released its first studio album, “Core,” which included the hits “Plush” and “Creep.” The band’s second album, “Purple,” released two years later, contained “Vasoline” and “Interstate Love Song.” Together, the two albums sold 14 million copies in the United States.
Weiland was born Scott Richard Kline in San Jose, California, on Oct. 27, 1967.
Throughout his career, Weiland struggled with drug addiction and was often deemed defiant and bedraggled, but he was also seen as a capable vocalist.
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