Photo: @inviteloveinvitelove (Instagram)
After suffering from cardiac arrest in his home in Malibu, Iconic rocker Tom Petty, lead singer and guitarist of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers has passed away. He was 66 years old. Petty is survived by his first wife, Jane Benyo, with whom he had two daughters, and his second wife, Dana York Epperson. Petty was born on October 20, of 1950.
A Musical Legend
Petty knew he wanted to be a musician after seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show as a child.
“It was something I identified with. I had never been hugely into sports. I had been a big fan of Elvis. But I really saw in the Beatles that here’s something I could do,” Petty told NPR’s Fresh Air in 2006.“I knew I could do it.”
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ first album arrived in 1976. This album contained their first two big singles, “Breakdown” and “American Girl”. After their first album they continued to make a stream of successful albums including 1978’s You’re Gonna Get It! (“Listen to Her Heart,” “I Need to Know”); 1979’s Damn the Torpedoes (“Refugee,” “Here Comes My Girl,” “Don’t Do Me Like That”); and 1981’s Hard Promises (“The Waiting”).
Tom Petty was one of the best-selling rock and touring acts of all time. He released a total of 10 studio albums with the Heartbreakers and three as a solo artist. on his own. Petty combined powerhouse melodies with sturdy rock and hooks, from the choruses to the band’s deft solos and riffs.
