Scott Weiland, whose voice was ubiquitous across alternative rock radio for more than two decades, passed away Thursday night at the age of 48. According to reports, Weiland died in his sleep at a tour stop in Bloomington, Minnesota. Weiland was on the road with his most recent project, Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts. He previously served as the lead singer of Velvet Revolver during the mid-2000s and fronted the multi-platinum Stone Temple Pilots before that. As noted by The New York Times, STP's first two albums sold a combined 14 million copies in the U.S. and featured radio staples like "Plush," "Creep," "Vasoline," and "Interstate Love Song."
Weiland struggled with addiction and erratic behavior throughout his career, which led to his dismissal by his bandmates from both STP and Velvet Revolver. A video of Weiland performing with the Wildabouts at the Brewster Street Ice House in Corpus Christi, Texas, went viral this past spring. In the clip, Weiland struggles through "Vasoline" and appears dazed and disoriented. That video has since been deleted from YouTube.
While most will remember his voice booming over trumped-up, neo-grunge anthems, a wearier, more nuanced version of Weiland emerged during quieter settings. Much like Nirvana and Alice in Chains, STP's MTV Unplugged taping showed what Weiland was really capable of.
This post has been updated to reflect that Weiland passed away in Bloomington, Minnesota, not Bloomington, Indiana. We regret the error.
