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Tom Petty was rushed to the hospital late Sunday night after he was found unconscious. TMZ reports that the 66-year old musician was found not breathing and in full cardiac arrest. It has been reported that EMTs rushed to Petty’s Malibu home and they were not able to get a pulse, so he was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica where he was placed on life support. Petty was taken off of life support earlier today and passed away peacefully.
“We’re told after Petty got to the hospital he had no brain activity and a decision was made to pull life support.”
TMZ also reports that they have reached out to Tom Petty’s management, but nobody is talking just yet. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers recently wrapped up a large tour, with the final show at the Hollywood Bowl last Monday evening. The reviews of the shows have been great, all praising the band for dusting off some old tracks that they haven’t played in a while. Petty showed no sign of illness on the tour and was cracking jokes and telling stories every night of the tour.
Thomas Earl Petty was born and raised in Gainesville, Florida and had a difficult upbringing due to a tumultuous relationship with his father. Petty dropped out of high school at the age of 17 to start the Epics and later Mudcrutch with future Heartbreakers members Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell. Mudcrutch eventually fell apart after a move to Los Angeles and Tom Petty started up the Heartbreakers with Campbell, Tench, Ron Blair, and Stan Lynch. The Heartbreakers gained traction in the U.K. first with the strength of Petty’s songwriting. “Breakdown” was released as a single in 1977 and it helped launch the Heartbreakers into one of the biggest bands in the United States.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their second and third records, which went on to sell millions of copies and solidifying the Heartbreakers as one of the biggest bands in the world. Tom Petty’s talents as songwriter were recognized by other musicians and he started to collaborate with other artists including Dave Stewart and Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks. Petty released his first solo album, Full Moon Fever, in 1988, which contained the smash hit song “Free Falling.” From there, Tom Petty joined a super group of classic rockers including George Harrison of the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne.
There are currently no further details surrounding Tom Petty’s condition, but TMZ reports that he was in critical condition last night and is reportedly on life support. This is a developing story and hopefully some good news comes out soon. Petty was supposed to play some shows in New York later this month, but it appears that the shows will unfortunaatley be cancled after the news spreads. It’s far too early for the world to lose the iconic voice and songs of Tom Petty.
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