Scott Weiland's Ex-Wife Pens Emotional Letter About His Death
— -- Scott Weiland, former front man of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, died last week at 48 after he was found unresponsive in his tour bus in Minnesota. On Monday his ex-wife Mary Forsberg posted a powerful open letter online about his life and the tragedy of his death.
The emotionally charged letter was posted by on Rolling Stone's website.
"December 3rd, 2015 is not the day Scott Weiland died. It is the official day the public will use to mourn him, and it was the last day he could be propped up in front of a microphone for the financial benefit or enjoyment of others," wrote Forsberg. "But the truth is, like so many other kids, [our children] lost their father years ago. What they truly lost on December 3rd was hope."
In the letter, Forsberg asked that fans not glorify Scott's death by purchasing merchandise in memory of the rock star, and revealed a darker side of Scott's family life, including the struggles the singer had with anxiety and paranoia, as well as his absence from Noah and Lucy's childhood.
"You might ask, 'How were we to know? We read that he loved spending time with his children and that he'd been drug-free for years!'" Forsberg wrote. "In reality, what you didn't want to acknowledge was a paranoid man who couldn't remember his own lyrics and who was only photographed with his children a handful of times in 15 years of fatherhood."
Weiland admitted in previous interviews that he struggled with substance abuse and drug addiction, including heroin and alcohol.
Forsberg explained that for her and her kids, this open letter gave them a way to express their pent up feelings of "grief and struggle" and also to encourage others to reach out to families who face a similar situation to the Weilands.
"I don't share this with you to cast judgment, I do so because you most likely know at least one child in the same shoes," Forsberg wrote. "If you do, please acknowledge them and their experience. Offer to accompany them to the father-daughter dance, or teach them to throw a football...Just offer – or even insist if you have to."
"This is the final step in our long goodbye to Scott," Forsberg continued. "Our hope for Scott has died, but there is still hope for others."
