Ex-Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland dead at 48

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Scott Weiland, 48, the magnetic front man of the Stone Temple Pilots whose three-decade career in music included solo albums and a spot in the supergroup Velvet Revolver, has died.

The singer's manager, Tom Vitorino, confirmed the death to the Associated Press early Friday morning. Vitorino said he learned of Weiland's death from the tour manager. He did not provide details but cited a statement on Mr. Weiland's Facebook page.

The statement said Mr. Weiland, who was dogged by substance-abuse problems throughout his career, died in his sleep while on a tour stop in Bloomington, Minn. Bloomington police were called to a hotel for a report of an unresponsive man in an RV at 8:22 p.m. Thursday. TMZ reported a police dispatch saying the victim had gone into cardiac arrest. The Hennepin County medical examiner confirmed Mr. Weiland's death in a news release Friday, saying he died at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Country Inn & Suites at the Mall of America in Bloomington. No cause of death was initially listed.

Mr. Weiland's current band, Scott Weiland & the Wildabouts, had been scheduled to play at the Medina Entertainment Center in nearby Medina, Minn.

Mr. Weiland's wife, Jamie, confirmed his death to the Los Angeles Times.

"I can't deal with this right now," she said, sobbing. "It's true."

The singer rose to fame as the front man of the Grammy Award-winning Stone Temple Pilots. The band's 1992 debut album, "Core," was an instant hit, selling 8 million copies. The hit single "Plush" won the Grammy for best hard rock performance. The band's follow-up was a white-hot success, too: 1994's "Purple" hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard pop charts, sold 6 million copies, and launched the hits "Interstate Love Song" and "Vasoline." Although critically controversial, Stone Temple Pilots were one of the most successful bands to emerge from the grunge movement of the 1980s and '90s. All of their albums charted in the top 10.

Mr. Weiland had a long string of drug- and alcohol-related arrests and stints in rehab. In 1995, he was arrested after deputies found him carrying crack and heroin. He pleaded guilty to felony heroin possession in 1998. His arrests for drug possession, stints in rehab, and penchant for missing or showing up late or unprepared for gigs led the Stone Temple Pilots to cancel tour dates and contributed to their 2003 breakup.

Mr. Weiland went on to front Velvet Revolver, the supergroup that featured former members of Guns N' Roses, including guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan. Again, Mr. Weiland's talents as vocalist and songwriter earned praise and awards. The band's first album, Contraband, went to the top of the Billboard 200. The band-written single "Slither" won a Grammy for best hard rock performance. The power ballad "Fall to Pieces" also went gold.

The Stone Temple Pilots eventually reunited in 2008 but split again in 2013.

Mr. Weiland is survived by his wife and by son Noah and daughter Lucy, his children by his ex-wife, Mary Forsberg.