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Former Stone Temple Pilots Frontman Dead At Age 48 December 4, 2015 08:01

Scott Weiland, the former frontman for rock bands Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, died in his sleep Thursday night, his Facebook page confirmed early this morning.  "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," a post on Weiland's Facebook page reads. "At this time we ask that the privacy of Scott’s family be respected."

The Bloomington, Minn. Police Department issued a statement at 11:15 p.m. PST. "Officers arrived and determined the adult male was deceased," read the release, which did not identify the deceased. The address corresponded to a local Country Inn & Suites hotel. The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office will continue investigating the death with updates to come.  Weiland turned 48 on Oct. 27. He long suffered from substance abuse issues.

Weiland was an American musician and singer-songwriter. During a career spanning three decades, Weiland was best known as the frontman for the successful rock band Stone Temple Pilots from 1986 to 2013, as well as the supergroup Velvet Revolver from 2003 to 2008. He had also established himself as a solo artist, releasing four studio albums, a cover album, a live album and collaborations with several other musicians since 1995.

In between stints with STP, Weiland fronted Velvet Revolver which featured former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Dave Kushner, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum. The band released two albums and earned two gold-selling singles, "Slither" and "Fall to Pieces," and a Grammy (for "Slither") before Weiland quit in 2008 to rejoin his prior band. They briefly reunited in 2012 for a one-off concert.

Weiland's onstage persona was known as being flamboyant and chaotic; he was also known for constantly changing his appearance and vocal style, as well as his use of a megaphone in concert for vocal effect.

Weiland will be remembered as one of the great frontmen in rock and roll history, known for his distinctive lower register singing style, a sort of growl that grew ever more popular in the post-grunge years.  Weiland and STP sold 13.5 million records in the US together.  They won a Grammy Award in 1994 for the single "Plush" off of their hit album, Core.