“Let me get to the point, let’s roll another joint And turn the radio loud, I’m too alone to be proud” – Tom Petty (Song – ‘You Don’t Know How it Feels). Rock legend Tom Petty has died today October 2, 2017 as a result of cardiac arrest. The 66-year-old singer was rushed to the hospital and put on life support, but due to no brain activity being present, the decision to pull the plug was made.
CBS News has confirmed Tom Petty’s death at the UCLA Santa Monica Hospital where he was taken earlier today after being found unconscious in his Malibu home. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers performed their final show together last Monday at the Hollywood Bowl for their 40th Anniversary Tour, which Petty had hinted would be the band’s final one. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was thinking this might be the last big one. We’re all on the backside of our sixties. 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,” Petty told Rolling Stone last December.
Photo Credit: Gerry Kahrmann
Three solo albums and thirteen with the Heartbreakers, Tom Petty leaves us with a staggering amount of iconic material to remember him by. In a year that has been riddled with tragedy, including the suicides of both Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) and Chester Bennington (Linkin Park), we can only hope that death stops taking away some of the world’s greatest musical talents. Petty was amazing and an artist that I’ll never forget. I’m sad I never had the chance to see him perform live, but I’ll always have the memories of his beautiful music for the rest of my life. My favourite song was ‘You Don’t Know How it Feels’ and there isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t listen to it at least once.
Rest in Peace.