It has been reported that rocker Tom Petty, known for his hit songs such asĀ Free Fallin’, has died aged 66. According to Tony Dimitriades, longtime manager of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Petty was rushed to the Los Angeles hospital on Sunday, where he died on Monday.
“On behalf of the Tom Petty family, we are devastated to announce the untimely death of our father, husband, brother, leader, and friend Tom Petty. He suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu in the early hours of this morning and was taken to UCLA Medical Center but could not be revived. He died peacefully at 8:40 p.m. PT surrounded by family, his bandmates, and friends.” Dimitriades said in a statement.
Petty was found unconscious in his Malibu house, unable to breathe and in full cardiac arrest. When he was brought to the hospital, he had no brain activity and the decision was made to pull life support.
Numerous friends and fellow musicians went public and reacted to Petty’s death including his former bandmate Bob Dylan who was with Petty in the bend Traveling Wilburys.
“It’s shocking, crushing news. I thought the world of Tom. He was a great performer, full of the light, a friend, and Iāll never forget him.”Ā told Dylan to the Rolling Stones magazine.
Petty was born on October 20, 1950, in Gainesville, Florida and became interested in rock music at a very young age. He saw Elvis Presley performing live and said it was one of the events that influenced his decision to become a musician. After being in a couple of bands and flirting with a solo career, Tom Petty formed Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and went on to achieve great success. He also joined forces with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne forming Traveling Wilburys. Petty was one of the best selling music artists in the world, with 80 million sold records.
