Legendary Rocker Tom Petty Passes At 66

Tom Petty (Krista Kennell/Shutterstock)

TOM PETTY, the GAINESVILLE, FL, rocker who parlayed his own love of THE BYRDS, THE BEATLES and BOB DYLAN into a platinum-plus amalgam of  southern and BRITISH rock, passed away TONIGHT at UCLA MEDICAL CENTER in LOS ANGELES at the age of 66. He was rushed to the hospital the evening before after suffering cardiac arrest at his home in MALIBU.

PETTY's death was erroneously reported by CBS NEWS, only to be repudiated by the L.A. POLICE DEPARTMENT when the rocker was taken off life support by his family after a failure to detect brain activity. Only last MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25th, PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS closed out three nights at the HOLLYWOOD BOWL in celebration of the band's 40th anniversary,  The singer's death was confirmed tonight by longtime manager TONY DIMITRIADES and publicist CARLA SACKS, on behalf of this family. 

PETTY joined his first band, THE SUNDOWNERS when he was still in high school before quitting to form another band, THE EPICS (which featured TOM LEADON -- brother of EAGLES guitarist BERNIE LEADON). The group would change their name to MUDCRUTCH, which broke up in 1975 when  PETTY, along with two former members of the group -- guitarist MIKE CAMPBELL and keyboard player BENMONT TENCH -- formed what would become known as TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS, moving to LOS ANGELES to secure a record deal with SHELTER, a label formed by LEON RUSSELL and DENNY CORDELL -- who actually signed PETTY -- with offices in TULSA and L.A.

The band's self-titled album was released in NOVEMBER of 1976, eventually going gold and spawning two U.S. singles, "Breakdown" and "American Girl," but it would be their third album, 1979's "Damn The Torpedoes," which would break them into the mainstream, courtesy the hugely successful "Don't Do Me Like That," "Refugee" and Here Comes My Girl." The album has since been certified triple platinum by the RIAA.  PETTY's shaggy blond hair and gaunt features, combined with his soulful vocals, made him an archetypal rock star, whose music spanned the divide between classic and new wave.  As a songwriter, he tended to favor the rebel, the outsider, focusing on everyday people's struggles to survive on songs like "Refugee," "Even the Losers," and "I Won't Back Down."

PETTY would find success performing with other artists in later years, such as STEVIE NICKS on "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," and EURYTHMICS' DAVE STEWART on "Don't Come Around Here No More." PETTY also toured with BOB DYLAN, with whom he'd form THE TRAVELING WILBURYS in 1988, along with GEORGE HARRISON, JEFF LYNNE and ROY ORBISON, releasing two successful albums.

In 1989 PETTY's career found even more success when he released a solo album, "Full Moon Fever," a five-times platinum album containing HEARTBREAKERS set staples like "I Won't Back Down," "Runnin' Down A Dream," and "Free Fallin'." The album featured contributions from MIKE CAMPBELL, along with his WILBURYS bandmates ORBISON, HARRISON and LYNNE, who was also a producer on the album. 

In 2002, PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS were inducted into the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME, while the band's 2014 album, "Human Eye," their 13th, was his first to top the BILLBOARD 200.  He also hosted his own SIRIUSXM station, TOM PETTY RADIO, with his longtime producer, MARK FELSOT. 

PETTY won three GRAMMYS during his career, including Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for TRAVELING WILBURYS' first album in 1990, Best Rock Vocal Performance for "You Don't Know How It Feels" in 1996 for his solo album, "Wildflowers," and Best Music Video, Long Form, for the PETER BOGDANOVICH documentary, "Runnin' Down A Dream" in 2009. PETTY published his autobiography, written by WARREN ZANES, in 2015.

Said his TRAVELING WILBURYS bandmate BOB DYLAN, “It’s shocking, crushing news, I thought the world of TOM. He was a great performer, full of the light, a friend, and I’ll never forget him.”

“This is unbearable,” SHERYL CROW wrote on TWITTER. “VEGAS and now a great music hero has passed. You brought us so much joy. We will miss you.”

PETTY is survived by his second wife DANA YORKE, and two daughters, ADRIA and KIMBERLY VIOLETTE, from first wife JANE BENYO.

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