After plenty of confusion about his status throughout the day yesterday, Tom Petty's manager confirmed late last night that Tom has died at the age of 66 after suffering severe cardiac arrest.
As the story goes, Petty and dropped out of school at 17 to play in his band Mudcrutch. After that group disbanded, Petty and several of its members reformed as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, a band he would play with for the next four decades. Their debut album was released in 1976 and included the iconic track, "American Girl."
Along the way, Petty also joined forces with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne to create the ultimate supergroup in the Traveling Wilbury’s. But he also stretched his solo muscle and dropped his "Full Moon Fever" in 1989, his first solo album. Despite a lifetime in the biz, Petty didn't get his first number one until 2014's "Hypnotic Eye."
Petty leaves behind Dana York, his wife of 16 years along with Adria and Kimberly Violette, his two daughters from a previous marriage, as well as stepson Dylan.
Fellow icon Bob Dylan said after hearing the news.“It’s shocking, crushing news,” “I thought the world of Tom. He was great performer, full of the light, a friend, and I’ll never forget him.”