SCOTT WEILAND's Ex-Wife On His Death: 'Don't Glorify This Tragedy'

Late STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland's ex-wife Mary Forsberg Weiland — who is the mother of his children, Noah, 15, and Lucy, 13 — has penned an open letter for Rolling Stone, in which she writes that her kids in fact "lost their father years ago" and "what they truly lost on December 3rd was hope."

"We don't want to downplay Scott's amazing talent, presence or his ability to light up any stage with brilliant electricity. So many people have been gracious enough to praise his gift. The music is here to stay," she adds. "But at some point, someone needs to step up and point out that yes, this will happen again — because as a society we almost encourage it.

"We read awful show reviews, watch videos of artists falling down, unable to recall their lyrics streaming on a teleprompter just a few feet away. And then we click 'add to cart' because what actually belongs in a hospital is now considered art.

"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!' 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.

"Our hope for Scott has died, but there is still hope for others. Let's choose to make this first time we don't glorify this tragedy with talk of rock and roll and the demons that, by the way, don't have to come with it."

Read the entire letter at Rolling Stone.

Scott Weiland's current wife told TMZ.com that her husband was not doing drugs before he was found dead on his band's tour bus last Thursday night.

Jamie Weiland, who met Scott in 2011 on the set of his music video for "I'll Be Home For Christmas", one of the singles from his "The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" solo album, claimed the singer was drug free for years, although she admitted he had been drinking socially.

Weiland had a history of drug abuse. He was arrested in 1995 for attempting to buy crack cocaine before being arrested again two years later for heroin possession. In 1999, the singer was ordered to spend a year in a county-jail recovery center due to a probation violation. He also entered rehab following a DUI arrest in November 2007.

STP fired Weiland in February 2013 after reuniting with him in 2010 for a series of tours and one self-titled album. The band had previously been on hiatus since 2002, primarily due to the singer's struggles with drugs and alcohol. STONE TEMPLE PILOTS then recruited a new frontman, Chester Bennington of LINKIN PARK, and released one critically acclaimed EP, "High Rise".

Speaking to a Canadian reporter last year, Weiland denied that his "demons" were still a factor as he continued to tour with THE WILDABOUTS. "Past demons are past demons; that's stuff that I dealt with 14 years ago," he said. "I mean, I guess Keith Richards [of THE ROLLING STONES] gets asked about [his past drug use], so why shouldn't I? But it's not something that I think about, ever. Those days of my dope abuse, and use, are long since by me."

Weiland's passing is the second death for THE WILDABOUTS. Back in March, THE WILDABOUTS guitarist Jeremy Brown died as a result of intoxication from multiple drugs. Brown's death was ruled accidental.