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Mark McGrath on Scott Weiland: He Was Romanced by Addiction

Mark McGrath
Mark McGrath discussed Scott Weiland's death and how addiction contributed to it.

Mark McGrath opened up about Scott Weiland’s death on Tuesday, December 15, sharing heartbreaking insight into the late rocker’s drug addiction.

“It’s the old cliche, you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to help himself,” the Sugar Ray frontman, 47, told Theo Von and Matthew Cole Weiss on their podcast, Allegedly. “Scott was resigned to his belief. His heroes all went through their thing, and I think he was romanced by the whole idea of addiction.”

Related: PHOTOS: Celeb Deaths in 2015

The former Stone Temple Pilots frontman died of cardiac arrest inside his tour bus on December 3 at the age of 48. According to a police report obtained by Us Weekly, police got a search warrant following his death and found cocaine on the tour bus.

Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland and The Wildabouts performed in Philadelphia on March 12, 2015.

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The late rocker’s The Wildabouts bandmate Tommy Black was arrested and faces charges for possession of a controlled substance.

“He told me, himself!” McGrath continued. “It was more the routine of shooting up and copping and all that as well. It was the lifestyle and all his heroes did — it was Iggy Pop, or Johnny Thunders. He lived it. He was a real dynamic and true artist in all the sense and unfortunately sometimes that’s part of the package.”

Daniel Lanois, Scott Weiland, Duff McKagan, Chester Bennington and Mark McGrath in 2004.
Daniel Lanois, Scott Weiland, Duff McKagan, Chester Bennington and Mark McGrath in 2004.

The “Every Morning” singer also revealed that Weiland’s drug use influenced his music.

“It definitely affected his later work, for sure, when he got caught in the throes of addiction,” McGrath said. “Listen, there’s no better job for being an addict than rock ‘n’ roll. You can hide it all day long, you can hide it for a long time.”

Since Weiland’s untimely death, friends such as Billy Corgan, Dave Navarro and Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry have all penned touching tributes to their late friend. 

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