Denise Truscello/WireImageJust days after former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland was discovered dead in his tour bus, his ex-wife Mary Forsberg is offering a stark warning to the public—"don't glorify this tragedy."
Forsberg, the mother of Weiland's two children Noah and Lucy, penned an emotionally-charged letter to Rolling Stone, offering alleged intimate new details about her former spouse's life behind the curtain.
"The outpouring of condolences and prayers offered to our children, Noah and Lucy, has been overwhelming, appreciated and even comforting," she introduced her letter in Rolling Stone. "But the truth is, like so many other kids, they lost their father years ago. What they truly lost on December 3rd was hope."
Weiland's public struggle with substance abuse—he faced multiple drug and alcohol-related arrests and several stints in rehab—had a significant effect on his role as a father, according to Forsberg. However, she argued the public failed to see how grave his addictions were.
"In reality, what you didn't want to acknowledge was a paranoid man who couldn't remember his own lyrics and who was only photographed with his children a handful of times in 15 years of fatherhood," she said. "I've always wanted to share more than anyone was comfortable with."
The mother of two continued, describing Weiland's remarriage to Jamie Wachtel. While Forsberg hoped the new union would mark a fresh start for her children's relationship with their father, it allegedly had the opposite effect.
"When he remarried, the children were replaced. They were not invited to his wedding; child support checks often never arrived. Our once sweet Catholic boy refused to watch the kids participate in Christmas Eve plays because he was now an atheist. They have never set foot into his house, and they can't remember the last time they saw him on a Father's Day," she said.
"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."
The 48-year-old's unexpected passing has had a profound effect on famous friends and fans alike who rushed to social media on Dec. 3 to pay their respects, but Forsberg is not as quick to praise the fallen star.
"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," she wrote.
"Our hope for Scott has died, but there is still hope for others," Forsberg continued. "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."