Since the tragic death of rock icon Scott Weiland just days ago, tributes have been pouring in from across the music world.
The Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman’s bandmates, contemporaries and fans have flooded social media with memorials in honour of the fallen legend.
But one of the most fascinating insights into the enigmatic figure that was Scott Weiland has come from STP’s former manager, Steve Stewart and the late singer’s ex-wife Mary Forsberg Weiland who have each shared some intimate stories and reflections about the frontman.
Penning an open-letter for Rolling Stone, Mary Weiland who is the mother of Scott Weiland’s children, Noah, 15, and Lucy, 13, writes, heartbreakingly, that her kids in fact “lost their father years ago” and “what they truly lost on December 3rd was hope.”
“We don’t want to downplay Scott’s amazing talent, presence or his ability to light up any stage with brilliant electricity. So many people have been gracious enough to praise his gift. The music is here to stay,” she adds. “But at some point, someone needs to step up and point out that yes, this will happen again – because as a society we almost encourage it.
“We read awful show reviews, watch videos of artists falling down, unable to recall their lyrics streaming on a teleprompter just a few feet away. And then we click “add to cart” because what actually belongs in a hospital is now considered art.
“Our hope for Scott has died, but there is still hope for others. Let’s choose to make this first time we don’t glorify this tragedy with talk of rock and roll and the demons that, by the way, don’t have to come with it.”
Stewart was the original manager for STP, looking after the band during their heyday – between 1990 and 2000 – and in a chat with Alternative Nation, has shared a heartfelt tribute to the lonesome, vulnerable man that he once knew.
“What always struck me most about Scott was how alone he really was. For all the people and things he had around, I always felt he was somehow separated from people. Sometimes, all he wanted was someone to sit with him,” he said.
“I remember one late night a long time ago, when we were facing a long night on a bus, after a gig. The bus was filled with maybe 12 people, all of them asleep after working all night. Scott was in the front lounge, behind the driver, and I was sitting up front, watching the road. As I got up and started toward my bunk to grab some sleep, he looked up from the video game he was playing and said, ‘Will you stay with me? I don’t want to be here alone.’
“This has always stayed with me, and I saw other examples of this through the years of how much he needed someone to share the journey with. Even though no one could ever really satisfy that need, I think it was something that he always yearned for, and maybe, never found.
“I thought he’d always beat his demons, and maybe in the end, he finally did. My prayers are with his family and children.”
Weiland’s former Velvet Revolver bandmate, Matt Sorum, has also remembered the late frontman in an emotional radio interview.
“I don’t know how I felt initially,” he told US station SiriusXM (via NME) when describing his reaction to the news of Weiland’s death. “I can’t say it was a shock, but it was definitely… I wasn’t expecting it because I felt like Scott was gonna be here hopefully longer than this.”
“When I started to kind of process the feelings – I mean, people know that, in the end, obviously we had our differences and the band split up. But the wave of emotions that you feel is more like a family member. It’s like if you had a family member that maybe you didn’t get along with great, but you still love them. That’s the feeling,” he explained.
Scott Weiland was found dead on his tour bus while on the road with his band, The Wildabouts.
His cause of death has been identified as a cardiac arrest, although it’s still unknown what caused the cardiac arrest itself.
Police searching the scene apparently seized a small amount of cocaine from the room where Weiland’s body was found, and arrested his Wildabouts bandmate, Tommy Black, with felony drug possession.
Listen to Matt Sorum’s radio interview below, and read our own tribute to Weiland’s life and musical legacy right here.
