A transcript of the 911 call made by bandmates of rocker Scott Weiland depicts their anguish upon realizing that their frontman was dead after efforts to rouse him from sleep on their tour bus failed.
Tour manager Aaron Mohler went to check on Weiland after bandmates received a call from Weiland's wife, photographer Jamie Weiland, who was concerned because she hadn't heard from him. Mohler entered the bus outside the Country Inn & Suites at the Mall of America, where Weiland appeared to be sleeping in his bedroom, according to the police report.
Weiland was usually a heavy sleeper, so Mohler shook him, then removed the pillow from under his head. Mohler couldn't feel Weiland breathing and called drummer Joseph Castillo onto the bus for help. Neither man could wake him, and they called 911.
"I, I think he's dead," one of the men told dispatchers Dec. 3. "He's not moving. He's stiff, his whole …"
Dispatchers asked if a defibrillator was available. The caller said the band did not carry one on the bus. Instructions were then given to attempt chest compressions.
The caller says Weiland's body is rigid and that he is not breathing.
"I mean, he's like hard as a rock right now, not moving," he said in a 911 transcript released Tuesday by Bloomington police. " ... there's no breath. There's no nothing."
Weiland, 48, was dead when police arrived. An autopsy would later find a toxic combination of drugs and alcohol in his bloodstream, including cocaine and methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) — a party drug often referred to as "Molly."
The medical examiner's report noted "other significant conditions," including atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and a history of asthma and multisubstance dependence. Friends said he was also taking medication for bipolar disorder, police said.
Investigators seized a small amount of cocaine in Weiland's bedroom on the bus, where his body was found. Bandmate Thomas Delton Black, 47, was arrested on suspicion of having an additional amount of cocaine and was quickly released pending an investigation.
Weiland had been scheduled to perform at a club in Rochester the next day with his current band, The Wildabouts. He was best known for fronting the multiplatinum band Stone Temple Pilots, famous for hits "Plush" and "Interstate Love Song."
Stone Temple Pilots would go on to be one of the bestselling rock acts of the mid-1990s. The band's debut album, "Core," eventually sold 8 million U.S. copies.
Liz Sawyer • 612-673-4648
