Cocaine found on Scott Weiland’s bus; former Stone Temple Pilots bandmates issue a statement

A substance that tested positive as cocaine was found in the room on the bus in which former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver lead singer Scott Weiland died Thursday while on tour in Minnesota, the Bloomington Police Department announced Friday.

“Detectives collected several items of evidence from inside the tour bus, [including] a small quantity of suspected controlled substance that field-tested positive as cocaine, in the bedroom where Mr. Weiland was located,” the department’s statement said.

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FOR THE RECORD
2:50 p.m.: An earlier version of this article said Scott Weiland died while on tour in Indiana. Weiland was found dead in Minnesota.
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Scott Weiland with Stone Temple Pilots in May 2008 at Showbiz Studios in Van Nuys.

  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Scott Weiland performs at Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City in December 2008.

  (Karl Walter / Getty Images)

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Scott Weiland with his family -- Lucy, then 2, Noah, 4, and wife Mary -- at the Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel in January 2005.

  (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

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Scott Weiland performs at the Hollywood & Highland complex in Los Angeles to promote his new album, “Happy in Galoshes,” in November 2008

  (Chris Pizzello / Associated Press)

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Scott Weiland at a promotional event for his album “Happy in Galoshes” in Los Angeles in November 2008.

  (Chris Pizzello / Associated Press)

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Scott Weiland performs with Stone Temple Pilots in Columbus, Ohio, in May 2008.

  (Paul Vernon / Associated Press)

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Scott Weiland and bassist Robert DeLeo perform with Stone Temple Pilots in Columbus, Ohio, in May 2008.

  (Paul Vernon / Associated Press)

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Vocalist Scott Weiland and guitarist Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots perform at a special private show in Los Angeles in April 2008.

  (Chris Pizzello / Associated Press)

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Scott Weiland, left, and Slash as Velvet Revolver perform in Carson in September 2007.

  (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)

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Velvet Revolver -- from left, Dave Kushner, Scott Weiland, Slash and Duff McKagin -- pose with their statues after winning the hard rock performance category at the 2005 Grammy Awards on Feb. 13, 2005, in Los Angeles.

  (Robyn Beck / AFP/Getty Images)

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Scott Weiland, left, and Slash perform with Velvet Revolver in Los Angeles in December 2004.

  (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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Slash, from left, Scott Weiland, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum and Dave Kushner of Velvet Revolver.

  (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

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Scott Weiland performs with Stone Temple Pilots at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine in September 2000.

  (Kevin P. Casey / Los Angeles Times)

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For a generation too young to have experienced Robert Plant, Freddie Mercury or Mick Jagger in their primes, Scott Weiland, seen here in 1998, was the definition of a rock singer.

  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

“Detectives recovered an additional small quantity of suspected controlled substance that field-tested positive as cocaine, in the area of the tour bus known to be occupied by Thomas Delton Black, a traveling member of Weiland’s party,” the statement continued. Black, 47, of Studio City, was arrested and is being held by Bloomington police pending a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance.

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The police statement said no cause of death has been determined. Weiland’s death at 48 is under investigation by Bloomington police and the Hennepin County medical examiner’s office, which will be conducting an autopsy, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner told the Los Angeles Times. She gave no estimate Friday on how long that process will take.

Meanwhile, members of the rock band Stone Temple Pilots issued a statement through a spokeswoman on the death of their former lead singer, who had been on tour with his new band, the Wildabouts.

Here is the full text of the statement from Stone Temple Pilot band members Robert DeLeo, Eric Kretz and Dean DeLeo:

Dear Scott,

Let us start by saying thank you for sharing your life with us.

Together we crafted a legacy of music that has given so many people happiness and great memories.

The memories are many, and they run deep for us.

We know amidst the good and the bad you struggled, time and time again.

It’s what made you who you were.

You were gifted beyond words, Scott.

Part of that gift was part of your curse.

With deep sorrow for you and your family, we are saddened to see you go.

All of our love and respect.

We will miss you brother,

Robert, Eric, Dean

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FROM THE ARCHIVES:

Our 1996 article about Stone Temple Pilot’s rocky path was, in part, a story about hope

Scott Weiland told us in 1994, ‘We always write our best music when antagonizing each other’

‘I used to feel guilty about my success, but I’m over that now,’ said Scott Weiland in 1998