Tom Petty Passes Away At 66

Tom Petty fans were sent on a roller coaster ride of emotions yesterday when the rock singer was announced first as having had a heart attack, and shortly afterwards as having passed away. Unfortunately CBS jumped the gun on their passing away announcement, and fans were sent on a trip of confusion as to what was really going on. It was revealed that Petty was still alive when CBS made their announcement. Later that night however, Tom Petty’s manager released a statement to tell the world that Petty had passed away at 8:40 p.m. PT, at the age of 66.

Petty’s music inspired people all around the world. It can be heard in movies such as Jerry Maguire and Silence of the Lambs, or TV shows like the recent Emmy Award winning The Handmaids Tale and Entourage. He formed his first band, Mudcrutch, when he was 20, but it was in 1975 when he formed The Heartbreakers that his career really started to take off. Some of their biggest hits include “Don’t Do Me Like That,” “Refugee,” “The Waiting,” “You Got Lucky,” and “Don’t Come Around Here No More.” In 1988 he joined the super group The Traveling Wilburys with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne. That collaboration led to Petty’s solo album Full Moon Fever in 1989 that brought us such hits as “I Won’t Back Down,” “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” and “Free Fallin’”, which became his biggest hit.

While Petty had dealt with his own personal issues, such as a heroin addiction in the 1990’s, his music constantly received play on the radio and he never stopped being a fan favourite. In 2002 Petty was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Photo: Davidwbaker on Wikipedia