Scott Weiland’s Wife on His Death: ‘I Knew I was Never Going to See Him Again’
Scott Weiland’s long battle with drug addiction and substance abuse was no secret at the time of his death from an accidental overdose in December of last year, but in a new interview with Billboard, those close to the late Stone Temple Pilots frontman reveal he was also struggling with turbulent family and health issues.
Weiland's wife, Jamie, says she first recognized the effects of Weiland’s bipolar disorder shortly after they married in 2013. The singer’s mental health often lead to erratic behavior, including profanely lashing out at fans and threatening a reporter. “I started to see he had paranoia and some of the bipolar stuff started to come out,” Jamie Weiland told Billboard. “At one point it was so bad I had to move out because he was unstable.” The couple eventually found a medication that helped curb the singer’s manic episodes.
Weiland was also coping with the death of his Wildabouts bandmate Jeremy Brown earlier that year. Brown died from multiple drug intoxication the day before the release of the Wildabouts’ debut Blaster in March. Then, Weiland learned both his mother and father had been diagnosed with cancer. “He was sad about his mom,” Wildabouts guitarist Nick Maybury said, adding the singer broke down crying in the street during one stop on their tour. “We were just holding him like, ‘It’s all right, brother.’”
Weiland was also estranged from his two children with ex-wife Mary Forsberg. Forsberg had complete custody of Noah, 15, and Lucy, 13. Child support, his addictions, multiple stints in rehab and divorces had left Weiland in severe financial trouble.
Jamie Weiland last saw her husband on Thanksgiving, noting the finality in their time together. “I think maybe I knew I was never going to see him again,” she said. “We couldn’t get enough of each other. It was very powerful.”
Seemingly in response to Forsberg’s open letter regarding her ex-husband, Jamie argues despite Weiland’s struggles and flaws, he is still deserving of fans’ admiration: “The notion that we’re not supposed to ‘glamorize him’ [because he did drugs]? F--- that. He’s an icon. He f---ed up. We all f--- up.”