“We received a call today about my friend Jeremy Brown that has shaken me to the core. We were all concerned this afternoon when Jeremy didn’t show up for a long-scheduled rehearsal for tonight’s album release show at School Night,” Weiland wrote. “An hour later, Jeremy’s family called us to say that he had passed away. I am in shock right now; everyone that knows him is devastated. It is a terrible loss that goes beyond words. He is one of my best friends, a truest friend and one of the most gifted guitar players that I’ve ever known. A true genius.”

Brown first worked with Weiland in 2008 when the singer recorded his solo album “Happy” in Galoshes. Brown, along with Wildabouts bassist Tommy Black and drummer Danny Thompson, also accompanied Weiland on the road for the singer’s Purple to the Core tour, where Weiland performed Stone Temple Pilots’ Core and Purple live. Inspired by the group’s chemistry, Weiland hit the studio with his backing band and set out on recording Blaster.

“The sound we were getting felt original and infectious and brought me back to the feelings I had when I made my first couple records. Just excitement, feeling invigorated. Youthful,” Weiland told Rolling Stone. “Blaster is definitely a band sound: a stripped-down, furry sound with a lot of space between the notes. But it’s tight and to-the-point while keeping that garage rock vibe.” In an interview with LA Weekly, Weiland said Brown “came up with a majority of the riffs” for Blaster.

Weiland cancelled the band’s album release gig Monday night at Los Angeles’ School Night after learning of Brown’s death. “It’s impossible to explain how much he will be missed and what a hole this will leave in our hearts,” Weiland wrote. “A post on Facebook feels so trite and small compared to the love that I have for him and for the talent that has passed on but I felt it was necessary to at least start here. Please keep his family in your thoughts.”