Noah Weiland, son of late Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland, has disputed the widely reported cause of his father’s death. He shared his perspective in an interview with Painful Lessons.
Noah provided his own theory about what really happened to the rock icon when directly asked about how his father died.
“So, they all tried to write it off like, ‘Oh he overdosed,'” Noah said. “And to be honest, I’m just going to be flat out. I don’t really like the woman who was once my stepmom but I will say that what she probably isn’t lying about is that, and that I would bet more than anything is that he had a heart attack.”
Noah explained his reasoning behind this belief. He connected it to years of physical strain on his father’s body.
“And because all the years of like abusing his body right it catches up,” he continued. “Eventually it’s like there’s only so much your body can take. He was about to be 50 and so I think it was a heart attack, basically. I mean I think that makes the most sense.”
The younger Weiland also addressed his father’s substance use in the final years of his life.
“The last years of his life, he wasn’t on heroin. He wasn’t on opiates. He was drinking, Xanax and was on Suboxone for like a long time which is like obviously a lot,” he said. “And that shouldn’t be for anyone’s body’s consumption on the regular but the thing is like I still think he was trying. And he wasn’t just like doing it all like consistently.”
Noah’s claims about his father’s cause of death contrast with the official findings from the investigation into Scott Weiland’s passing in December 2015.
The Star Tribune reported that Scott Weiland’s death was officially ruled as accidental due to mixed drug toxicity. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that cocaine, alcohol, and methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) were involved. The toxicology report revealed a combination of substances in his system at the time of death.
However, Noah’s theory about heart complications may not be entirely unfounded. Blabbermouth noted that Scott Weiland had a documented history of cardiovascular disease. This could have contributed to his death alongside the substance-related factors. This medical background supports Noah’s belief that heart issues played a role in his father’s passing.
The circumstances surrounding Scott Weiland’s final day were particularly tragic. The Star Tribune revealed that the band had been scheduled to perform in Medina, Minnesota. The show was canceled due to poor ticket sales. His bandmates discovered Weiland’s body on the tour bus. Emergency responders attempted to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The 911 call transcripts revealed the shock and fear experienced by his bandmates who made the discovery. This highlighted the sudden nature of his death at age 48 while touring with The Wildabouts.
