Suspect208, a band that includes the sons of Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash and Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, has fired lead singer Noah Weiland, son of the late Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland.
“We were really close to him and it is the last thing we would’ve ever wanted to do, but it had to be done for his safety, as well as the longevity of the band,” read a statement the band shared on Instagram.
According to the statement, Weiland “was heading down a dark path of drug use that got in the way of our friendship as well as the band.”
The 20-year-old singer “was not writing lyrics or lifting his weight in the band for two months before we let him go,” and there were “many instances of blow-ups over very small issues we’d confront him with.”
Scott Weiland was found dead on his tour bus in 2015 at the age of 48. He had cocaine, Xanax and two other prescription drugs.
In a separate Instagram post on the weekend, Suspect208 shared a call for an L.A.-based singer between 18 and 24. “DM us your cover of ‘Black Dog’ by Led Zeppelin [and] list 3 music influences.”
Suspect208 – with Weiland, London Hudson, Tye Trujillo and NIko Tsangaris – released its debut single "Long Awaited" last November.