Rocker Tom Petty dies
Rock’n’roll singer/songwriter was 66 years old
Tom Petty, an old-fashioned rock superstar and everyman who drew upon the Byrds, the Beatles and other bands he worshipped as a boy and produced new classics such as "Free Fallin,'" "Refugee" and "American Girl," has died. He was 66.
Petty died Monday night at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles a day after he suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu, California, spokeswoman Carla Sacks said.
Petty and his longtime band the Heartbreakers had recently completed a 40thanniversary tour, one he hinted would be their last.
"I'm thinking it may be the last trip around the country," Petty told Rolling Stone last year. "We're all on the backside of our 60s. I have a granddaughter now I'd like to see as much as I can. I don't want to spend my life on the road. This tour will take me away for four months. With a little kid, that's a lot of time."
Usually backed by the Heartbreakers, Petty broke through in the 1970s and went on to sell more than 80 million records. The Gainesville, Florida, native with the shaggy blond hair and gaunt features was loved for his melodic hard rock, nasally vocals and down-to-earth style. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted Petty and the Heartbreakers in 2002, praised them as "durable, resourceful, hard-working, likeable and unpretentious."
He was a beloved member of the rock community and musicians sent their condolences.
Bob Dylan, a longtime friend, tweeted "I thought the world of Tom. He was great performer, full of the light, a friend, and I'll never forget him." Ringo Starr, featured in the video for "I Won't Back Down," tweeted "God bless Tom Petty." Eric Clapton issued a statement that Petty was "such a huge part of our musical history, there'll never be another like him."
Petty's albums included "Damn the Torpedoes," ''Hard Promises" and "Full Moon Fever," although his first No. 1 did not come until 2014 and "Hypnotic Eye."