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This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

KPCC Archive

Scott Weiland’s ex-wife writes open letter, says ‘don’t glorify this tragedy’

LAS VEGAS - APRIL 21:  Velvet Revolver singer Scott Weiland (L) and his wife Mary Forsberg arrive at a Gwen Stefani concert serving as the grand opening of The Pearl concert theater at the Palms Casino Resort April 21, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Scott Weiland; Mary Forsberg
In this file photo, Scott Weiland and Mary Forsberg Weiland arrive at an event at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 21, 2007. On Monday, Rolling Stone published an open letter she wrote about his death.
(
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
)

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Less than a week after former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland died, his ex-wife and the mother of his two children penned an open letter for Rolling Stone. In the missive that was published on Monday, Mary Forsberg Weiland addressed the drawbacks of fame to artists and their families.

She wrote:

December 3rd, 2015 is not the day Scott Weiland died. ... 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.

Forsberg Weiland's 7-year marriage to the artist ended in 2007, according to The Guardian. In the letter, she wrote about her experience with the singer’s “paranoid fits” even after their split, as well as dealing with her own depression. She also mentioned instances when Child Protective Services didn’t allow Weiland alone with their children.

“I don't share this with you to cast judgment, I do so because you most likely know at least one child in the same shoes,” wrote Forsberg Weiland.

She wrote the piece with help from Weiland’s two teenage children, according to the editorial note.

The letter concluded:

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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.

Weiland died while on tour in Minneapolis,
reports the Associated Press. He was 48. The cause of his death has not been released, according to AP.
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