CHICAGO — Douglas Wigand was one of the last people to spend quality time with rock star Scott Weiland.
Wigand, a retired postal worker from Norwood Park, spent 45 minutes with Weiland and guitar player Tommy Black on Wednesday night at Mack's Golden Pheasant Restaurant in suburban Elmhurst.
Weiland and his bandmates made a pit stop in Illinois on their tour-bus trip to Minnesota, where Weiland's band — Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts — was scheduled to perform Thursday night. Weiland, 48, the former lead singer for Stone Temple Pilots, was found dead on the tour bus Thursday night. The New York Times reported Weiland died in his sleep.
Wigand, a Von Steuben High School graduate, took a grainy photo with Weiland and Black, shortly before Wigand left the dimly lit restaurant. Wigand was at the restaurant with some of his Northwest Side friends, and he immediately recognized Weiland. Wigand said he'd watched Stone Temple Pilots' "Alive in the Windy City" 2012 concert that was filmed at the Riviera in Uptown several times.
"It was nice hanging out with them for a while," said Wigand, 63. "I was always a big fan of Stone Temple Pilots, and it was amazing to see [Weiland] a day before he died. A lot of people told me it might have been the last photo of Scott Weiland that was ever taken."
Wigand said he talked with Weiland and Black about their various bands and Wigand's four-decade-plus tenure in the postal service. He said Weiland asked him whether he received a good pension after he retired. Wigand said he also bought Weiland and Black, who was charged with cocaine possession after the drug was found on the tour bus, a shot of Patron each.
Wigand said he found out Friday morning that Weiland had died, and several friends texted him saying they couldn't believe he had met Weiland the day before his death.
"They were nice guys," Wigand said. "It was a shame what happened."
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