Weiland's dead has been confirmed on his official Facebook page.
He was born Scott Richard Kline in San Jose, California; he changed his name at age five after his stepfather adopted him. He moved to Ohio as a child but came back to California for college. There, in Long Beach, he met future STP bassist Robert DeLeo at a 1985 Black Flag show. Legend has it that after talking for a while, they both figured out that they were dating the same girl. The band formed shortly thereafter, first taking the name Mighty Joe Young. The band spent a few years playing around San Diego and eventually changed their name.
Stone Temple Pilots' 1992 debut, "Core," has sold more than 8 million units in the United States. Their hits include "Vasoline," ''Interstate Love Song" and "Plush," which won a Grammy in 1993 for best hard rock performance with vocal.
In 1995, he was arrested after deputies found him carrying crack and heroin. He pleaded guilty to felony heroin possession in 1998. And his arrests for drug possession and stints in rehab led the Stone Temple Pilots to cancel tour dates and contributed to their 2003 breakup.
After the band split, Weiland joined former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum and former Wasted Youth guitarist Dave Kushner to form the supergroup Velvet Revolver. Weiland departed Velvet Revolver in 2008 to join the reunited Stone Temple Pilots.
RIP Scott Weiland
