RIP

Scott Weiland's bandmate Tommy Black has been arrested for possession of cocaine on the tour bus where Scott died.

Police say they found a small quantity of a suspected controlled substance that field tested positive as cocaine in the bedroom where Scott was found.

They also found another small amount of the same substance in an area of the bus occupied by Black ... who is a guitarist for Scott Weiland and The Wildabouts.

Black was arrested and booked for 5th degree felony possession of drugs.

Scott Weiland's former bandmates in Stone Temple Pilots crafted a letter thanking him for his talent, but also acknowledging his demons.

It begins, "Let us start by saying thank you for sharing your life with us. Together we crafted a legacy of music that has given so many people happiness and great memories."

Band members Robert DeLeo, Eric Kretz and Dean DeLeo added ... "We know amidst the good and the bad you struggled, time and time again. It’s what made you who you were. You were gifted beyond words, Scott. Part of that gift was part of your curse."

Scott Weiland's wife says her husband was clean when he died.

Jamie Weiland tells us her husband had not been doing any drugs for years ... although she admits he has been drinking socially.

Our sources say drugs were found on the bus, but Jamie insists they were not Scott's.

Jamie says there was a pact among the band not to do drugs ... at the very least that pact seems to have been broken by someone on the bus.

As we reported, several prominent musicians have told us they were alarmed over the last 4 days, saying Scott had been deep into crack cocaine ... something Jamie vehemently denies.

Jamie, who says she was touring with the group but left them a week ago, says, "He [Scott] was the best he has ever been."

Some legendary musicians were in touch with each other 4 days before Scott Weiland died ... worrying he had fallen off the wagon again, and was deep into crack cocaine.

Our music sources say Scott had NOT slipped back into heroin abuse -- something that had plagued him during much of his adult life. But we're told crack, as well as heavy drinking, were front and center in the days before he died.

One source -- a huge rock star -- got a call before TMZ broke the story ... from someone connected to Scott who said he had died at around 7:30 PM of a drug overdose. Authorities in Minnesota have not confirmed this with TMZ.

One day before his death, Scott was on SiriusXM talking about his tour ... and challenging ISIS.

Disney star Tiffany Thornton's husband Chris Carney -- a musician and TV star -- was killed in a single car accident in his home state of Arkansas.

Carney and another man, Ezekiel Blanton, were pronounced dead on the scene. They wrecked early Friday morning when their car flew off the road while going around a bend and slammed into a tree. At least one was ejected from the car, which was driven by Blanton.

35-year-old Carney was on the MTV reality show "twentyfourseven," and was the lead singer of the group Prom Kings. Chris and Tiffany -- star of "Sonny with a Chance" -- have been married since 2011. Just last year they moved back to Hot Springs, AR ... where Chris' mother is mayor.

Scott Weiland died from cardiac arrest ... this according to first responder audio.

TMZ has obtained communications between the Bloomington, Minn Police Dept. and the Hennepin County Sheriff's Dept. They had received a 911 call that Scott appeared to be dead in his tour bus in the parking lot of a motel.

According to the audio, Scott -- seen here in Toronto 2 days before his death in a pic with a fan -- was not breathing and dispatchers conveyed the musician appeared to have gone into cardiac arrest.

TMZ broke the story ... Scott died in his sleep. The underlying cause of death has not been determined.

6:20 AM PST -- An official statement on Weiland's Instagram page says the singer passed away in his sleep.

Rock star Scott Weiland was found dead on his tour bus in Minnesota ... TMZ has learned.

Weiland was on tour with his band Scott Weiland & The Wildabouts ... they were supposed to play the Medina Ballroom tonight, but the show was cancelled. A source connected to the band tells us Scott was found Thursday night on the bus around 9 PM.

Police surrounded the bus, which was parked outside a motel in the town of Bloomington, MN. The Hennepin County Coroner now has Weiland's body.

The former lead singer for Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver famously battled substance abuse for years. We're told he died in his sleep but it's unclear what caused his death.

Scott was 48.

Melvin Williams -- the Baltimore drug dealer whose life inspired the classic television show "The Wire" -- died Thursday in Maryland. He was 73.

Williams was a powerful drug dealer in the '70s and '80s and served several years behind bars for trafficking. He was profiled for the Baltimore Sun in 1987 by David Simon, who went on to create "The Wire."

Williams -- who had a small role on the show as Deacon -- is believed to be the inspiration for the show's Avon Barksdale character, played by Wood Harris.

One of the real life guys who advised Jordan Belfort ... the 'Wolf of Wall Street' ... has been found dead in West Hollywood.

Barry Gesser was tight with Belfort and also consulted with the film's director Martin Scorsese and co-star Jonah Hill. TMZ has learned Gesser's body was found Wednesday afternoon.

Law enforcement sources tell us they don't suspect foul play in the 52-year-old's death at this time. It's also unclear if it was a suicide. Cops are still on the scene investigating.

Gesser pleaded guilty to fraud and got 3 years probation for the stock fraud and racketeering plots depicted in the Oscar nominated movie.

Gesser made headlines earlier this year when his new wife, actress Stacey Alysson, caught him in bed with a NY socialite. They'd only been married for 15 days.

4:20 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell us Gesser's housekeeper found him, and called 911. There were no obvious signs of trauma or suicide. We're told Gesser has a history of drug use, but there was no paraphernalia or pills found on the scene.

Joshua Shintani -- best known from his cameo in "Shallow Hal" has died at the age of 32 ... TMZ has learned.

Joshua's mother says she took him to an emergency room early last week on Kauai, and doctors discovered he was battling an advanced case of pneumonia. Joshua died on Wednesday.

He had became a local legend in his native Hawaii after landing the memorable scene with Jack Black ... where Joshua strummed a ukulele and played, "Never Forget Where I'm From."

Peter Farrelly was on vacation in Hawaii when he discovered Joshua, a high school senior at the time, strumming his uke outside a public library. He signed him up for the movie on the spot.

'Hal' was the only movie Joshua ever did.

A rep for the Farrelly brothers tell us Joshua, "had a soul that glowed like a lighthouse. We feel honored to have known him."

Casey Kasem's kids and his brother think his widow abused him so badly it caused his 2014 death.

Julie, Mike and Kerri Kasem just filed a lawsuit against Jean Kasem for wrongful death. In the docs, they say Jean repeatedly blocked them from seeing their father, and they say that separation caused him great emotional distress.

The children along with Casey's brother, Mouner, say their father was doing as fine as could be -- considering he had dementia -- when Jean took him on a 7 day journey all over the Western U.S. ... but when they returned, he had a massive bed sore that was deeply infected, according to the docs.

The suit also says Casey's death, on Father's Day, was the result of a staph infection, UTI, and sepsis ... all brought on by Jean's neglect.

Jean dodged criminal charges for elder abuse back in May ... when L.A. prosecutors cited insufficient evidence of any wrongdoing. We're told that didn't sit well with Casey's children, and their frustration was part of their motivation to file this lawsuit.

Skrillex took a break from celebrating after the AMAs Sunday night ... and got very serious and emotional about the woman who went overboard during the Mad Decent Boat Party.

Skrillex was one of the headliners on the recent EDM cruise that had to return to port following the tragedy. Parts of the excursion were cancelled, and several performances were postponed.

Jim Perry, one of the most popular hosts during the heyday of TV game shows, has died.

Perry hosted "Card Sharks," an iconic game show in the 70s and 80s. The show still runs on cable. He also hosted "Sale of the Century" for 6 years. Both shows attracted legions of devoted fans.

NBC loved Perry, who was a buttoned-up 6'4" dude with not a single hair out of place, and put him on the network for years.

Perry died of cancer. He was 82.

RIP

A police dog trained to sniff out explosives is being hailed a hero after it was killed in Wednesday's raid on the terrorist cell linked to last Friday's Paris attacks.

Diesel, a 7-year-old Belgian Shepherd, met an atrocious end after the canine was reportedly blown to pieces by a suicide bomber.

The heroic pup had been sent into an apartment in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis to sniff out booby traps where the raid took place.

Word of Diesel's death spread like wildfire across social media via the hashtag #JeSuisChien, which translates to "I am a dog" ... a play on the galvanizing "Je Suis Charlie" following the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January.

Five other officers were injured in Wednesday's raid.

Jonah Lomu -- considered one of the most ferocious rugby players of all time -- has died at the age of 40 ... his wife confirms.

Lomu was an absolute BEAST -- a combination of power and speed ... who dominated as a member of the New Zealand All Blacks from 1994 to 2002.

In fact, the Dallas Cowboys reportedly tried to recruit him to transition in to pro football in the mid '90s ... but he refused to leave the sport of rugby.

Lomu was diagnosed with a rare kidney infection which forced him to quit rugby in the early 2000s. He had a transplant in 2004 but the organ stopped working in 2011.

Jonah's wife, Nadene, issued a statement saying, "It is with great sadness that I must announce my dear husband Jonah Lomu died."

"As you can imagine, this is a devastating loss for our family and may I ask that our privacy, especially the privacy of our two very young boys, be respected as we take them through this traumatic time.”

RIP

Justin Bieber is among the many mourning the loss of a friend or loved one in the aftermath of last Friday's Paris terror attacks.

Justin shared a heartfelt message for pal Thomas Ayad on Twitter. Ayad had worked for Mercury Records as a product manager, and was killed during the mass shooting at the Eagles of Death Metal concert.

In his message, Justin said he and Thomas had worked together for years and he thanked his pal for everything he did for him.

Justin left his fans with a deep thought: "Make sure to appreciate people while you have them," before sending his condolences to Ayad's family and friends.

Ayad was among at least 89 people killed at the concert.