Former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland passed away yesterday, and was honored in tweets by Dave Navarro, Krist Novoselic, and more. Today, another ’90s alt-rock musician wrote a long eulogy for him, Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan. He posted it to the Pumpkins’ website, and it reads:
Having just woken to the news of this passing, I feel compelled to put pen to paper and pay my respects to Scott. And in that I will not pretend to know more than I know, or add some sad homily to how he loved his life. At least in that, may I now say he is undoubtably in the arms of grace and eternal love.
May I also offer my humble condolences to his family, friends, and band mates; who have, and are, suffering this great loss. For when anyone as vaunted leaves far too soon, we mourn all that might have been.
As any fan, I find myself reflecting on what I do have in my own treasure chest: in scarce moments where Scott and I spoke as contemporaries or competitors, and got to know each as people other past the footlights and shadows we were so busy casting to the world. It may seem trite in reflection, but I’d try to make him giggle when I saw that the manic whirl of the dumb parties we were at (in Hollywood, no less!) might be causing undue stress.
It was, I’d guess you’d say, my way of apology for having been so critical of STP when they appeared on the scene like some crazy, man-fueled rocket. And not only was the knight up front freshly handsome to a fault, but he could sing too! As any supreme actor gives a real and different voice to each character played.
It was STP’s 3rd album that had got me hooked, a wizardly mix of glam and post-punk, and I confessed to Scott, as well as the band many times, how wrong I’d been in assessing their native brilliance. And like Bowie can and does, it was Scott’s phrasing that pushed his music into a unique, and hard to pin down, aesthetic sonicsphere.
Lastly, I’d like to share a thought which though clumsy, I hope would please Scott In Hominum. And that is if you asked me who I truly believed were the great voices of our generation, I’d say it were he, Layne [Staley], and Kurt [Cobain].
So it goes beyond tragedy to say it is we who lost them, and not the other way round…
Pavement, who took digs at both the Pumpkins and STP in “Range Life,” wrote in a now-deleted Facebook post: “Rest peacefully Scott Weiland. In no way shape or form did we ever want to add to your misery.”
Stone Temple Pilots also posted a statement:
Dear Scott,
Let us start by saying thank you for sharing your life with us.
Together we crafted a legacy of music that has given so many people happiness and great memories.
The memories are many, and they run deep for us.
We know amidst the good and the bad you struggled, time and time again.
It’s what made you who you were.
You were gifted beyond words, Scott.
Part of that gift was part of your curse.
With deep sorrow for you and your family, we are saddened to see you go.
All of our love and respect.
We will miss you brother,
Robert, Eric, Dean
As did his other band Velvet Revolver (with Slash and Duff from Guns N Roses):
We are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of our old friend and bandmate, Scott Weiland. We experienced a good chunk of life with Scott, and even in his darkest times, we all had hope and love for him. His artistry will live on, of that, there is no doubt.
Deepest condolences and sadness are for his children, Noah and Lucy. We all travelled around this world together on tour; our band, wives, and kids…and we grew to a big family that still remains to this day.
It’s just so sad and brutal from any perspective.Rest In Peace Scott
Slash, Duff, Matt, and Dave
Scott Weiland’s three final shows were last week in NYC, NJ and Long Island. You can watch videos of them.