- Born
- Died
- Birth nameThomas Earl Petty
- Height1.75 m
- Thomas Earl Petty was an American musician and actor who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the late 1980s super-group the Traveling Wilburys, and had success as a solo artist.
Petty had many hit records. Hit singles with the Heartbreakers include "Don't Do Me Like That" (1979), "Refugee" (1980), "The Waiting" (1981), "Don't Come Around Here No More" (1985) and "Learning to Fly" (1991). Petty's solo hits include "I Won't Back Down" (1989), "Free Fallin'" (1989), and "You Don't Know How It Feels" (1994). Solo or with the Heartbreakers, he had hit albums from the 1970s through the 2010s and sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Petty was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year in February 2017 for his contributions to music and for his philanthropy.
In 2017, Petty died of an accidental drug overdose, at the age of 66, one week after the end of the Heartbreakers' 40th Anniversary Tour.- IMDb mini biography by: Bonitao
- SpousesDana York(June 3, 2001 - October 2, 2017) (his death)Jane Ann Benyo(March 26, 1974 - September 9, 1996) (divorced, 2 children)
- ChildrenAnna Kim Petty
- World-weary vocals
- Rickenbacker 660/12 Guitar
- Teamed up with Bob Dylan, Beatle George Harrison, Jeff Lynne from Electric Light Orchestra and Roy Orbison in the group The Traveling Wilburys.
- On July 9, 2017, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers headlined the final night of the British Summer Tour festival in Hyde Park in London, supported by Stevie Nicks, who joined them on stage for the performance of "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around".
- He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 7018 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on April 28, 1999.
- Rock singer/guitarist, recording and performing solo as well as leader of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1975-2017).
- Had two daughters: Adria Petty and Anna Kim Petty (Annakim Violette).
- I'm not exactly a guy who makes new friends easily.
- [on Howie Epstein's death] It's like you got a tree dying in the backyard. And you're kind of used to the idea that it's dying. But you look out there one day and they cut it down. And you just can't imagine that beautiful tree isn't there anymore.
- It's funny how the music industry is enraged about the Internet and the way things are copied without being paid for. But you know why people steal the music? Because they can't afford the music.
- Rock 'n' roll is a music that represents truth. Your TV channel has taken the word "rock" and knocked the "roll" off the end. You made rock this umbrella term for everything. That's wrong. Shakira isn't rock. These country artists with fur coats aren't rock - or country. I offered a video to VH1 of my band playing in the studio and they don't want to air it because it had musicians playing in it. They want some babe walking on the beach or whatever.
- Music is probably the only real magic I have encountered in my life. There's not some trick involved with it. It's pure and it's real. It moves, it heals, it communicates and does all these incredible things.
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