SCOTT WEILAND's Widow Sets Record Straight About His Death: 'He Didn't Overdose'

During an appearance on the latest episode of the Appetite For Distortion podcast, Scott Weiland's widow spoke about his legacy, more than eight years after the late STONE TEMPLE PILOTS frontman's death. Photographer Jamie Wachtel Weiland said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I feel like he really does not have the accolades and the respect and the recognition that he absolutely deserves. I feel like when he died, everybody was kind of, like, that's tragic, but, of course, he overdosed, which he didn't fucking overdose, which I tried to get that point across. He didn't. Because he had drugs in his system, the coroner had to rule it an overdose. But the truth is Scott died because the main artery in his left ventricle was 95 percent blocked. That came from 10 years of heroin use, that came from an entire adult life of chain smoking. His heart stopped. Did he have trace amounts of drugs in his system? He did. Did I know he was using? No, I didn't, because he lied to me, because I had caught him before and it would always be this huge fight and I would be furious at him. And to be doing this stuff, but to also to lie to me about it… And I remember even talking to the coroner in Minnesota when everything happened and saying, like, 'How could he lie to me about this again?' And the coroner was so kind. And he said, 'I think he just really didn't wanna disappoint you.' But, yeah, I really wanna clear up, that was not an overdose — it was not. He was not using heroin. He did not overdose on drugs. His heart stopped because his heart had been through so much abuse because of prior drug use in his life and smoking and heavy drinking."

Weiland was found dead on his tour bus in December 2015 at the age of 48 from a toxic mix of drugs and alcohol. The vocalist, who was on the road with his solo band THE WILDABOUTS, was also dealing with self-medication, estrangement from his children, financial difficulties and a steadily increasing drinking problem.

Regarding the criticism that she has received from some of Scott's fans for her role in the circumstances that led to the singer's death, Jamie told Appetite For Distortion: "People can say whatever the fuck they want about things that I did or didn't do. But the truth was I did pretty much all the heavy lifting myself with him. I was alone with him trying to keep him safe and keep him calm and get him to the right doctors and get him on stage, get him to rehearsals. It was just me. I was the gatekeeper for everything. And that was really, really fucking hard. So when we talk about the comments that people make about me, about Scott, about our marriage, I basically wanna tell everybody to go fuck off, 'cause they weren't there. They didn't know. And to judge and comment on it is just so low and ignorant. It's just ignorance. And that's why… the horrible things that people have said about Scott, the use of [the word] 'junkie', all of that, I honestly stopped looking at all of this years ago. I just stopped looking. I don't read any of the comments. I don't read the articles about him. I don't even look because it's so upsetting to me, that ignorance and that negativity and that judgment. It makes me sick. It gives me anxiety. It depresses me. So I just don't look. I just don't look."

A January 2016 report from Billboard revealed that Scott was dealing with hepatitis C, mental illness and the knowledge that both his parents had cancer in the final months of his life. The article featured interviews with Jamie, his mother Sharon, his WILDABOUTS bandmates Tommy Black and Nick Maybury, tour manager Aaron Mohler and others.

Jamie told Billboard that Scott had been experiencing episodes of paranoia and mania caused by bipolar disorder. She explained: "At one point, it was so bad I had to move out because he was unstable." Eventually they found a medication that leveled him out, with Jamie adding "For the last couple of years, he was doing pretty great."

In addition to STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, Scott fronted VELVET REVOLVER from 2004 through 2008. He rejoined STP in 2008 after a six-year hiatus, but was dismissed from the group in 2013 due to his erratic behavior.

More than seven years ago, Jamie filed a claim against Scott's estate, saying he owed her $64,406. Jamie said she and Scott signed a prenuptial agreement before their 2013 wedding which provided that the musician would put $2,000 into a separate account each month that they were married, with a provision that the amount would increase by seven percent annually. But Jamie said Scott had only made two deposits by the time he died in December 2015.

TMZ said that the document was "cut and dried," stating "what was his before the marriage remained his, and vice versa." In addition, the agreement waived Jamie's right to spousal support.

According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Jamie Weiland's creditor's claim against the estate was denied in August 2019.

Mary Forsberg was Weiland's second wife and mother to his children, Noah and Lucy. His first marriage to Janina Castenada lasted from 1994 to 2000.

Forsberg posted a brutally candid letter about Scott at RollingStone.com following his death, writing that his children "lost their father years ago. What they truly lost on December 3rd [2015] was hope."

Image courtesy of 102.1 The Edge