BLACK SABBATH Drummer BILL WARD Pays Tribute To SCOTT WEILAND: 'He Was One Hell Of A Singer'

BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward has commented on the passing of former STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and VELVET REVOLVER frontman Scott Weiland, calling it a “sad” ending to the life of “one hell of a singer.”

During this past weekend’s edition of Ward‘s radio show “Rock 50”, he said (see video below): “More sad news came last week, on Thursday, December the 3rd, when frontman/vocalist Scott Weiland passed away while on tour.

“We have played VELVET REVOLVER, which was one of Scott‘s bands, [on this radio show] and we’re gonna play one of the tracks from VELVET REVOLVER in a moment, but we wanna make sure that we send our condolences to his family and thank Scott for all the music.

“I knew Scott and I met him on and off for a number of years. And I met him, actually, when he was quite young, and I found him to be one heck of a guy, to say the least. He was one hell of a singer, to say the least. And I was really taken aback by the fact that he passed away. And it’s always sad when we lose a fellow musician that was active in rock and roll.”

Weiland, who has had a long history of drug problems, arrests and stints in rehab, was found dead on his tour bus on December 3 at the age of 48. The suspected cause of death is cardiac arrest, although an official report has yet to be released.

A small amount of cocaine was found on the bus and Tommy Black, bassist for Scott‘s band THE WILDABOUTS, was arrested for possession.

Both of Scott‘s former bands, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and VELVET REVOLVER, issued statements on his passing, while musicians and fans around the world have also posted tributes.

The original lineup of SABBATH reunited in late 2011 for a new album called “13” and a world tour. Although Ward was on board at first, he dropped out over what he called contractual issues. Ward will apparently not be part of the band’s 2016 farewell tour either.

Fonte: Blabbermouth.net