Rock star Scott Weiland found dead on tour bus

Scott Weiland, best known as the lead singer of the Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, was found dead Thursday evening on his tour bus before playing a show in Minnesota with his current band, Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts.

A message confirming his death was posted to Weiland's official Facebook page, saying he "passed away in his sleep while on a tour stop in Bloomington, Minnesota."

"At this time we ask that the privacy of Scott's family be respected," the brief statement said.

TMZ reported that Weiland "famously battled substance abuse for years." The entertainment news website said Weiland was found at about 9 p.m., likely just before he was due on stage with the Wildabouts at the Medina Entertainment Center in Hamel, Minnesota.

His wife of just two years, photographer Jamie Weiland, also confirmed his death to the Los Angeles Times in a brief phone interview. The newspaper said a sobbing Weiland told a reporter "I can't deal with this right now... It's true."

Scott Weiland was 48 years old.

He rose to fame as the lead singer of the Grammy Award-winning Stone Temple Pilots, whose hits include "Interstate Love Song," ''Plush," and "Vasoline."

The band broke up in 2003 and Weiland went on to front Velvet Revolver, whose members included former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash. Among that group's hits was "Fall to Pieces."

The Stone Temple Pilots eventually reunited in 2008 before breaking up again in 2013.