RIP Scott Weiland: 48-year-old reportedly dead

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

According to a Bloomington Police Department statement, officers responded to a report of an unresponsive adult male in a recreational motor vehicle located in the 2200 block of Killebrew Drive late in the evening of December 3.

Stone Temple Pilots came together when Weiland met New Jersey-born bass player Robert DeLeo at a 1986 Black Flag concert in Long Beach. The two Point Loma residents found they were dating the same woman but, rather than fight, they decided to form a band and ended up living together in the woman’s San Diego apartment after she moved to Texas.

In their San Diego days (from 1987 through 1990, when they moved to Los Angeles), they called themselves Mighty Joe Young. After being signed to Atlantic Records in 1992, their first album Core brought fame, fortune, and in the case of drummer Eric Kretz, an acrimonious and expensive divorce.

The band split in 2003, with Dean and Robert DeLeo forming Army of Anyone with Filter singer Richard Patrick and drummer Ray Luzier (who went on to join Korn). STP drummer Eric Kretz founded his own Bomb Shelter studio and worked as music supervisor of the Henry Rollins Show.

Weiland joined Velvet Revolver, which also featured former members of Guns N’ Roses. For a while, anyway.

After Velvet Revolver canceled their sold-out February 2008 show at downtown’s House of Blues, the band released this statement: “Following Velvet Revolver’s performance [February 6] in Los Angeles, lead singer Scott Weiland voluntarily entered a rehab facility. Tonight’s scheduled performance at San Diego has been postponed.”

Velvet Revolver canceled a planned Australia tour as well. Shortly after resuming their tour schedule, Weiland announced onstage that Velvet Revolver was through.

After coming across the DeLeo brothers at a 2007 beach party, Weiland began talking to them about an STP reunion. The result was a 2008 reunion tour and a 2010 self-titled album produced with help from Don Was.

Weiland released a holiday single in 2009, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Later in 2010, he announced a solo Christmas album is in the works, but it ended up being shelved until late 2011. His autobiography Not Dead & Not For Sale was released on May 17, 2011, via the Simon & Schuster imprint Scribner.

In summer 2011, audiences were booing his solo shows again. The Wall Street Journal declared his Gramercy Theatre show a disaster, with Weiland hitting the stage 90 minutes later than scheduled, to a “vocally unpleasant” crowd.

After being sacked by STP again, his Purple at the Core solo tour hit 20 cities, featuring songs from the first two Stone Temple Pilots albums, solo material, and music from Velvet Revolver. However, the drummer of his backing band the Wildabouts quit the group in the middle of the tour.

In March of this year, Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts released their debut album Blaster, produced by Rick Parker (Dandy Warhols, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Jewel). The group featured guitar player Jeremy Brown, bassist Tommy Black, and drummer Danny Thompson.

In advance of Blaster, a video was released for the track "Modzilla," and singles were made available with "Way She Moves" and "White Lightning" from the album.

However, Wildabouts guitarist Jeremy Brown passed away, just as the album was released on March 31. He was replaced by Nick Maybury from the Australian group Mink. The Wildabouts cancelled their summer 2015 UK and European tour, citing "far too many administration and production issues to overcome."

Late summer 2015 found Weiland reportedly being sued by the G&M Law firm for an alleged $50,000 in unpaid fees related to the 2013 legal fight with his former bandmates in Stone Temple Pilots.

On October 5, the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles hosted An Evening with Scott Weiland, including a Q&A session and an intimate performance from his band.

His band the Wildabouts kicked off a national tour October 28 in Hermosa Beach at Saint Rocke.