American musician, singer and songwriter Tom Petty died on Monday night after suffering a cardiac arrest at 66 in Los Angeles, his spokesperson said, according to AP. “We are devastated to announce the untimely death of of our father, husband, brother, leader and friend,” said Tony Dimitriades, manager of the band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, reported Los Angeles Times.
Petty suffered a cardiac arrest on Monday morning and was found unconscious at his home in Malibu. He was hospitalised at the UCLA Medical Centre, where “he died peacefully at 8.40 pm surrounded by family, his bandmates and friends,” Dimitriades said.
Earlier on Monday, multiple reports had inadvertently said Petty had died. However, his daughter, Annakim Violette, had clarified on Instagram saying: “My dad is not dead yet.”
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers rose to fame in 1977 with their early singles, Breakdown and American Girl. Several other hits followed, including Refugee, Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around, Free Fallin’, Learning to Fly.
In 1988, he partnered with musicians like George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne to create the supergroup, Traveling Wilburys.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have three Grammy Awards and 18 nominations. Petty was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, along with his bandmates. The band had just wrapped their 40th anniversary tour at the Hollywood Bowl on September 25.
Messages of condolences pour in
“It’s shocking, crushing news,” LA Times quoted Bob Dylan as saying. “I thought the world of Tom. He was great performer, full of the light, a friend, and I’ll never forget him.”
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