Scott Weiland's Ex-Wife Writes Heartfelt Essay: "Don't Glorify This Tragedy"

Nearly a week after singer Scott Weiland was found dead at a tour stop in Minnesota, the mother of his children is speaking out about the real-life consequences that the wrong decisions can have. Weiland had a history with addiction and substance abuse, and had struggled with bipolar disorder.

Mary Forsberg Weiland penned a letter in Rolling Stonethat reveals how their two children Noah, 15, and Lucy, 13, who helped her write the essay, were affected by his lifestyle. "We don't want to downplay Scott's amazing talent, presence or his ability to light up any stage...But at some point, someone needs to step up and point out that yes, this will happen again - because as a society we almost encourage it."

She goes on to note reckless behavior by musicians before pointing out that "many of these artists have children." She describes spending time trying to help Weiland clean up, even after they split up, to attempt to save their children from heartache until he eventually remarried.

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"I hoped it would inspire him to grow. I had often encouraged him to date a 'normal' girl, a woman who was also a mother, someone who had the energy that I no longer had to love him. Instead, when he remarried, the children were replaced.

"This is the final step in our long goodbye to Scott...We are angry and sad about this loss, but we are most devastated that he chose to give up. Noah and Lucy never sought perfection from their dad. They just kept hoping for a little effort...Our hope for Scott has died, but there is still hope for others. 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."

Read the full letter here.

Video: Scott Weiland's ex-wife pens emotional open letter