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Tom Petty is gone, hearts broken
The world woke up to the sad news that veteran country singer Tom Petty, who had suffered a cardiac arrest, had died at the UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, on Monday night.
The mood after the news was out recalled the name of the band fronted by Petty — The Heartbreakers. It was a day of heartbreak for the music world, as the death of the 66-year-old country singer closely followed the massacre by a crazed gunman at a Las Vegas music fest.
American singer John Mayer, who had covered Petty’s song Free Fallin’, wrote on Twitter: “I loved Tom Petty and I covered his songs because I wanted know what it felt like to fly.”
Free Fallin’ was one of Petty’s biggest hits — several musicians covered it on their tours. The Brit rock group, Coldplay, shared a video of their rendition of the song on Twitter. Coldplay invited Peter Buck of the band REM to join them on stage for the tribute cover of Free Fallin’.
Music legend Bob Dylan told Rolling Stone magazine: “It’s shocking, crushing news. I thought the world of Tom. He was great performer, full of the light, a friend, and I’ll never forget him,”
Hollywood, too, paid its respects to Petty, who was known for hits such as Refugee, Don’t Come Around Here No More, and Into the Great Wide Open. “Today America lost one of its musical giants. Thank you Tom Petty for all the music. To me you will live forever,” wrote actor Kiefer Sutherland.