Billy Corgan has issued a moving and sentimental statement on Scott Weiland's death and goes as far to name him amongst Layne Staley and Kurt Cobain as "a great voice of our generation." In his eulogy posted to the Smashing Pumpkins website, Corgan references both the lost voices in music and his own sometimes dysfunctional relationship with the band, although he names Weiland as having "native brilliance."
He also muses on the limited interactions that the two shared while Weiland was alive and issues an apology to the band for being so critical when they first began in the rock scene. He eventually turned into a big fan.
"As any fan, I find myself reflecting on what I do have in my own treasure chest: in scarce moments where Scott and I spoke as contemporaries or competitors, and got to know each other as people past the footlights and shadows we were so busy casting to the world," Corgan wrote.
Later on in his eulogy, Corgan said, "I'd like to share a thought which though clumsy, I hope would please Scott In Hominum. And that is if you asked me who I truly believed were the great voices of our generation, I'd say it were he, Layne and Kurt."
Weiland, the former frontman of Stone Temple Pilots, was found unresponsive in his tour bus last night (Dec. 3) and news of his death was officially announced on TMZ. The site reported that his band had been slated to perform a show that night in Hamel, Minnesota but it was cancelled after the lead singer was found. The cause of death is still unknown to fans, but Weiland had long struggled with addictions to cocaine and heroin.
The rocker was arrested on drug related charges twice during his long career, once in 1995 in possession of crack cocaine and once in 2007 for driving under the influence. Weiland was also in the middle of a bitter legal battle with his former bandmates for music rights. It remains to be seen how his death will affect the argument.
