Mary Forsberg Weiland tells fans after the death of the former Stone Temple Pilots rocker, 'Don't glorify this tragedy.'
- Dec 9, 2015
AceShowbiz - Mary Forsberg Weiland, the former wife of Scott Weiland, wrote an emotional letter on behalf of her children, Noah, 15, and Lucy, 13, following the rocker's death on December 3. With the help from her kids, she opened up about the family's grief and struggle.
"December 3rd, 2015 is not the day Scott Weiland died," Mary began in a note published on Rolling Stone. "It is the official day the public will use to mourn him, and it was the last day he could be propped up in front of a microphone for the financial benefit or enjoyment of others."
"The outpouring of condolences and prayers offered to our children, Noah and Lucy, has been overwhelming, appreciated and even comforting. But the truth is, like so many other kids, they lost their father years ago. What they truly lost on December 3rd was hope."
They didn't downplay "Scott's amazing talent, presence or his ability to light up any stage with brilliant electricity," Mary continued. "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."
Dealing with Scott's multiple illnesses led to her own depression, Mary opened up. The couple eventually got divorced in her attempt to "shield" the kids as she "feared the same would happen to the children."
"Even after Scott and I split up, I spent countless hours trying to calm his paranoid fits, pushing him into the shower and filling him with coffee, just so that I could drop him into the audience at Noah's talent show, or Lucy's musical. Those short encounters were my attempts at giving the kids a feeling of normalcy with their dad. But anything longer would often turn into something scary and uncomfortable for them."
She added, "This is the final step in our long goodbye to Scott. Even though I felt we had no other choice, maybe we never should have let him go. Or maybe these last few years of separation were his parting gift to us - the only way he could think to soften what he knew would one day crush us deep into our souls."
"I won't say he can rest now, or that he's in a better place. He belongs with his children barbecuing in the backyard and waiting for a Notre Dame game to come on. We are angry and sad about this loss, but we are most devastated that he chose to give up."
"Our hope for Scott has died, but there is still hope for others. Let's choose to make this the 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. Skip the depressing T-shirt with 1967-2015 on it - use the money to take a kid to a ballgame or out for ice cream."
