Scott Weiland, Ex-Velvet Revolver and Stone Temple Pilots Singer, Dead At 48

Breaking news, filed by our friend HIM.

Scott Weiland, the notorious and divisive singer for the Wildabouts, was found dead on his tour bus last (Thurs.) night. According to Rolling Stone, detail of his death will be released later today. 

A bright flash of energy when he arrived on the scene with STP in 1989, Weiland his bandmates were known as much for their initially derivative sound as they were for the singer’s antics and manic stage presence.  Though they branched out musically and gained more fame as a result, Weiland ultimately burned too many bridges with the rest of the band. STPs imploded in 2002.  

Weiland gained a measure of rebirth as the lead singer of Velvet Revolver in the mid-2000s, even as he continued to both alienate and attract fans and critics alike. Although he managed to recapture a bit of his mojo with a STP reunion in the late-2000s, he remained haunted by past drug use and current denials regarding his sobriety.  

The cause of Weiland’s death won’t be subject to speculation for very long. Even now, surely some have already posted conjectures about “orange juice” and/or suicide. Such smarminess is the default stance on the Internet these days.  

Thankfully readers of BBG! resist that tendency by and large.  And we can all, regardless of whether we liked his music or hated his excesses, mourn the loss of a talent who—whatever the cause—died too soon and burned out without ever truly cashing in the potential he showed.           

RIP Scott Weiland.