Scott Weiland to Richey Edwards: Musicians who died under mysterious circumstances

Earlier this week, Scott Weiland died of an apparent cardiac arrest. The former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman was on tour, promoting his 2015 album Blaster with his new band, the Wildabouts. The rockstar's melodious moaning on stage often dealt with depression and addiction. Off-stage, Weiland's personal life was no different from the songs he sang. He was known for excessive substance abuse throughout his career.


Wildabouts


Scott Weiland with his wife Jamie Wachtel

Rock stars have always known to court controversies. For some, unfortunately, the overwhelming scent of success came hand-in-hand with self-destruction. In death, Weiland joins a host of other musicians who struggled and eventually succumbed to the pressure and glare of the music world.


Scott Weiland

We take a look at five other musicians who have died under mysterious circumstances.

Tupac Shakur: The vociferous rapper had been involved in the East coast/West coast Hip pop rivalry involving another rapper Biggie Smalls. In a car with record producer Suge Knight, he was shot multiple times in a drive- by shooting in Las Vegas.No one really knows who is responsible for the 1996 shooting that ended the rapper's life. Many believe that he didn't really die, thanks to the six albums that were released after his death. How was that possible?



Elliott Smith: An Oscar-nominated folk singer who battled with substance abuse and often openly talked about killing himself. So, people weren't exactly surprised when the news broke out about his suicide. But his death did raise a lot of suspicions that he may have been murdered. His girlfriend told the police that she had locked herself in the bathroom after their big fight. Once she came back outside upon hearing him scream, she found him with a knife in his chest; she pulled the knife out and called 911. There were possible defensive wounds found on his arms, but no charges were ever filed.



Sam Cooke: According to official reports, the soul legend was shot dead by manager Bertha Franklin. The story gets more mysterious, Cooke was with Elisa Boyer, who claimed that the singer had raped her. She was chased down by a half naked Cooke when he burst into the manager's office. Boyer was arrested for prostitution, but no cash was recovered. Singer Etta James stated that the body she saw at the funeral was beaten up too badly to match the official version. Ever since, there have been various theories to suggest what might have actually happened.



Robert Johnson: His death marked him to be the original member of the 27 club. He passed on 16th August, 1938; the actual reason of his death is still unknown. Yet there are many theories to suggest how it happened. One is that he may have been poisoned by a jealous man whose wife Johnson had flirted. Till this day, we won't really know what went down with the iconic rock star, as the site of his burial is still a mystery as well.



Richey Edwards: The rhythmic guitarist and lyricist for Manic Street Preachers disappeared in February 1995, the day he was supposed to fly to the US for a press tour. The guitarist's car was found abandoned a couple of weeks later. Many speculated that he had committed suicide after battling with depression, and many say to have often seen him out and about after the incident. Hewas was declared dead in 2008.