Tom Petty passed away Monday after he was found unconscious in his California estate. According to longtime friend and manager, Tony Dimitriades, he died several hours later after being rushed to a Los Angeles hospital. He was 66.
A statement released at the time of his death stated, "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 8:40pm PacifiTime surrounded by family, his bandmates and friends."
Friends, family, and colleagues have since taken to social media to pay tribute to the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, with Bob Dylan, Bon Jovi, Coldplay and many other luminaries sending out condolences and expressing gratitude for his many musical contributions over the course of his 40+ year career.
Petty rose to prominence in the 1970s as the frontman of longtime band, the Heartbreakers, releasing classic hits such as 'Free Fallin', 'American Girl', 'Refugee' and numerous critically acclaimed albums along the way. The group’s 1980 album, Damn the Torpedoes, won them widespread recognition, going platinum, and skyrocketing the Heartbreakers to mainstream success.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers evolved out of a previous band, Mudcrutch, which featured Petty along with future Heartbreakers, guitarist Mike Campbell and Keyboardist Benmont Tench. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, with many of their songs becoming staples of classic rock radio.
The group wrapped their 40th anniversary tour last week, with the final show taking place in Los Angeles on Monday. Ironically, Petty previously stated it would be the band’s last major tour.
Petty’s fame extended beyond the music circuit. He appeared on a handful of episodes of Saturday Night Live, and his life was encapsulated in several documentaries. In addition, his music has been featured in scores of popular films and TV shows, including The Office, Disney/Pixar’s Cars 3, and Showtime’s Billions.
I was fortunate to witness the rise of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers after they emerged from Gainesville following their rebranding. I was present when they played their first concert as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at a sleazy hideaway in West Palm Beach, Florida whilst working as a promotion representative for their record label, ABC Records/Shelter.
I had the pleasure of meeting the band earlier that evening. I was introduced to Petty by Dimitriades himself. He knew what he had a star in his stable, and assured me that Petty and the Heartbreakers would transform not just the genre but the industry as a whole. With his long blonde hair and gaunt features, Petty had a certain aura about him, one that shined through his boyish appearance. We clasped hands, and in that moment, I knew that I was witnessing the genesis of a future star.
Offered the opportunity to share a quick smoke with the group outside, we exchanged small talk, the hazy respite us moderating the tempo of the conversation. The Heartbreaker’s drummer, Stan Lynch, was the most amiable of the bunch, eager to engage me, though what was said escapes me. Perhaps it was my excitement, or even my bemusement, that enhanced the experience overall.
Although the events transpired more than 40 years ago, I still have vivid recollections of what was indeed destined to become a most auspicious evening. Peanut shells littered the floor, cracking under my heels with every step I took. The group was wholly unknown to the audience, having yet to become known to anyone outside of their native Gainesville. Yet I sensed that would soon change as I watched the band take the stage and play a set of songs drawn from their soon-to-be released eponymous debut. Petty’s charisma was clearly evident even at this formative stage, and the band simply excelled as they churned out a series of selections that were destined to be hailed as classics mere months later. I was awestruck, captured by the magic of the transcendent melodies that echoed from such songs as 'American Girl' and 'Breakdown', and my particular favorite of the evening, the stark ballad titled 'Luna'.
The set ended with a performance of 'American Girl', forgoing the benefit of an encore for the uninterested crowd that had gathered for another night of inebriation and other matters unrelated to the music. Hardly anyone spared a second glance as the group exited the stage to a smattering of light applause. I waited for the band to exit the stage and retreated with them out of public view to the kitchen area that had been configured as their backstage environs. Upon entering that little room we were greeted with a rude message scrawled across the door of the refrigerator, one that read “Heartbreakers Suck!” It was an anticlimactic end to an amazing evening, and as it turned out, the only time I would meet the band in person. There are legends and there are icons. Tom Petty was both. His performance that night was more than the crowd in that little bar deserved. And yet, it was memorable all the same. For me personally, it offered a glimpse into the future, an early encounter with an artist destined to become one of the most influential purveyors of essential Rock 'n' Roll.
