Age, Biography, and Wiki
Tom Petty was born on October 20, 1950, in Gainesville, Florida. He rose to fame as the lead singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, a band he co-founded in 1976. Petty's life was marked by his distinctive voice and storytelling lyrics, blending elements of rock, country, and blues. He passed away on October 2, 2017, at the age of 66.
| Occupation | Rock Singer |
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| Date of Birth | October 20, 1950 |
| Age | 75 Years |
| Birth Place | Gainesville, Florida, U.S. |
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| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Details about Tom Petty's height and weight are not widely documented, but he was known for his tall, lanky frame. Height is often reported as around 6 feet 1 inch (185 cm), but this is not confirmed.
On September 23, 2018, Petty's widow Dana gave an interview to Billboard saying that Petty put off hip surgery his doctors had recommended for some time. "He'd had it in mind it was his last tour and he owed it to his long-time crew, from decades some of them, and his fans." Dana said that Petty was in a good mood the day before his death: "He had those three shows in L.A. Never had he been so proud of himself, so happy, so looking forward to the future—and then he's gone."
Petty owned and used a number of guitars over the years. Petty was known for his usage of Rickenbacker guitars, which he frequently played from 1979 onwards. The Rickenbacker 660/12TP neck was designed by Petty and featured his signature from 1991 to 1997. He also extensively played several Fender Telecasters and a Guild D25 12-string acoustic.
| Height | 185 cm |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Tom Petty was married twice. His first marriage was to Jane Benyo, from 1974 to 1996. He later married Dana York in 2001, with whom he remained until his death.
Petty overcame a difficult relationship with his father. He said his father found it difficult to accept that Petty was "a mild-mannered kid who was interested in the arts" and subjected him to verbal and physical abuse on a regular basis. Petty described his father as a "wild, gambling drinker guy". He was close to his mother and his brother, Bruce.
Petty struggled with heroin addiction following his divorce from Benyo. He cited the emotional pain of the divorce as a cause. He got clean after going to rehab in 1999, crediting his then-girlfriend Dana York with saving his life by helping him seek treatment.
On October 1, 2017, Petty's wife Dana York found him not breathing and in cardiac arrest at their home. He was resuscitated and taken to the UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, California, where he was put on life support. He died at 8:40p.m. PDT on October 2. There were premature reports of his death throughout the day.
On January 19, 2018, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner announced that Petty's death was due to an "accidental overdose" stating "multisystem organ failure due to resuscitated cardiopulmonary arrest due to mixed drug toxicity", a combination of fentanyl, oxycodone, acetylfentanyl and despropionyl fentanyl (all opioids); temazepam and alprazolam (both benzodiazepines); and citalopram (an antidepressant). In a statement on his website, Petty's wife and daughter said he had a number of medical problems, including emphysema, knee difficulties "and most significantly a fractured hip". He was prescribed pain medication for these problems and informed on the day of his death that his hip injury had worsened. The statement read, "[it] is our feeling that the pain was simply unbearable and was the cause for his overuse of medication.[..] We feel confident that this was, as the coroner found, an unfortunate accident."
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Net Worth and Salary
At the time of his death, Tom Petty's net worth was estimated at $95 million. His estate continues to generate income from his extensive music catalog, including hits like "Free Fallin'" and "I Won't Back Down". Since his passing, his net worth has grown due to ongoing royalties and the value of his music legacy.
Petty had a recurring role as the voice of Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt in the animated comedy series King of the Hill from 2004 to 2009. In 2010, Petty made a five-second cameo appearance with comedian Andy Samberg in a musical video titled "Great Day" featured on the bonus DVD as part of The Lonely Island's new album Turtleneck & Chain.
Career, Business, and Investments
Tom Petty's career was marked by his work with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and as a solo artist. The band's hits included "American Girl" and "Refugee." As a solo artist, Petty released the critically acclaimed album "Full Moon Fever" in 1989. He was also a member of the supergroup the Traveling Wilburys, alongside Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, and Roy Orbison.
Petty made significant business decisions that impacted his financial future. In 1979, he famously stood against the music industry's conventional contract practices, securing ownership of his master recordings. This move not only increased his earnings but also set a precedent for artists' rights.
As a young man, Petty worked briefly on the grounds crew of the University of Florida, but never attended as a student. An Ogeechee lime tree that he purportedly planted while employed at the university is now called the Tom Petty tree, though Petty said he did not recall planting any trees. He also worked briefly as a gravedigger.
After Mudcrutch split up, Petty reluctantly agreed to pursue a solo career. Tench decided to form his own group, whose sound Petty appreciated. Eventually, Petty and Campbell collaborated with Tench, Ron Blair and Stan Lynch, forming the first lineup of the Heartbreakers. Their eponymous debut album gained little popularity among American audiences, achieving greater success in Britain. The singles "American Girl" and "Breakdown" (re-released in 1977) peaked at after the band toured in the United Kingdom in support of Nils Lofgren. The debut album was released by Shelter Records, which at that time was distributed by ABC Records.
Petty's 2002 release, The Last DJ, was an album-length critique of practices within the music industry. The title track, inspired by Los Angeles radio personality Jim Ladd, bemoaned the end of the freedom that radio DJs once had to personally select songs for their station's playlists. The album peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States.
In July 2006, Petty released a solo album titled Highway Companion, which included the hit "Saving Grace". It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, which was Petty's highest chart position since the introduction of the Nielsen SoundScan system for tracking album sales in 1991. Highway Companion was briefly promoted on the tour with the Heartbreakers in 2006, with performances of "Saving Grace", "Square One", "Down South" and "Flirting with Time".
On September 28, 2018, Reprise Records released An American Treasure, a 60-track career-spanning box set featuring dozens of previously unreleased recordings, alternate versions of classic songs, rarities, historic live performances and deep tracks. The box set was preceded by the first single, "Keep A Little Soul", in July 2018. The song is an unreleased outtake originally recorded in 1982 during the Long After Dark sessions.
In 1987, Petty sued tire company B.F. Goodrich for $1 million for using a song very similar to his song "Mary's New Car" in a TV commercial. The ad agency that produced the commercial had previously sought permission to use Petty's song but was refused. A judge issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting further use of the ad and the suit was later settled out of court. Petty also disallowed George W. Bush from using "I Won't Back Down" for his 2000 presidential campaign. His family would do the same for Donald Trump in 2020, stating "Tom Petty would never want a song of his used for a campaign of hate."
Social Network
Tom Petty was not active on social media at the time of his death. However, his legacy continues to be celebrated through fan accounts and official channels managed by his estate.
Over the course of his career, Petty sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. His hit singles with the Heartbreakers include "American Girl" (1976), "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).
In 2006, Petty said he knew he wanted to be in a band the moment he saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. "The minute I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show—and it's true of thousands of guys—there was the way out. There was a way to do it. You get your friends and you're a self-contained unit. And you make the music. And it looked like so much fun. 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. I knew I could do it. It wasn't long before there were groups springing up in garages all over the place." He later said that the Rolling Stones inspired him by demonstrating that he and musicians like him could make it in rock and roll.
Their second album, You're Gonna Get It!, was the band's first Top 40 album, featuring the singles "I Need to Know" and "Listen to Her Heart". Their third album, Damn the Torpedoes, quickly went platinum, selling nearly two million copies; it includes their breakthrough singles "Don't Do Me Like That", "Here Comes My Girl", "Even the Losers" and "Refugee".
The band's twelfth album Mojo was released on June 15, 2010, and reached number two on the Billboard 200 album chart. Petty described the album as "Blues-based. Some of the tunes are longer, more jam-y kind of music. A couple of tracks really sound like the Allman Brothers—not the songs but the atmosphere of the band." To promote the record, the band appeared as the musical guests on Saturday Night Live on May 17, 2010. The release of Mojo was followed by a North American summer tour. Prior to the tour, five of the band's guitars, including two owned by Petty, were stolen from their practice space in Culver City, California in April 2010. The items were recovered by Los Angeles police the next week.
Petty's first appearance in film took place in 1978, when he had a cameo in FM. He later had a small part in 1987's Made in Heaven and appeared in several episodes of It's Garry Shandling's Show between 1987 and 1990, playing himself as one of Garry Shandling's neighbors. Petty was also featured in Shandling's other show, The Larry Sanders Show, as one of the story within a story final guests. In the episode, Petty gets bumped from the show and nearly comes to blows with Greg Kinnear.
Some outlets have claimed that the Red Hot Chili Peppers single "Dani California", released in May 2006, bears a close musical similarity to Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance". Petty told Rolling Stone, "I seriously doubt that there is any negative intent there. And a lot of rock 'n' roll songs sound alike. Ask Chuck Berry. The Strokes took 'American Girl' for their song 'Last Nite', and I saw an interview with them where they actually admitted it. That made me laugh out loud. I was like, 'OK, good for you' ... If someone took my song note for note and stole it maliciously, then maybe [I'd sue] . But I don't believe in lawsuits much. I think there are enough frivolous lawsuits in this country without people fighting over pop songs."
In December 2023, Petty's song "Love Is a Long Road" was used in the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI, which is considered one of the most anticipated video games ever made. This trailer gained over 90 million YouTube views within the first 24 hours. Because of this immense bump in popularity, the song itself gained nearly 1 million YouTube views in the same time span, gained a 36,979% increase on Spotify, had almost 250,000 searches on Shazam, and ranked second on the worldwide iTunes chart.
Education
Tom Petty attended Roosevelt Junior High School and later graduated from Gainesville High School in Florida. He did not pursue higher education, instead focusing on his music career.
Petty attended Howard Bishop Middle School, where he played Little League baseball and basketball. He then attended Gainesville High School, where he graduated in 1968.
On February 3, 2008, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performed during the halftime-show of Super Bowl XLII at the University of Phoenix Stadium. They played "American Girl", "I Won't Back Down", "Free Fallin" and "Runnin' Down a Dream". That summer, the band toured North America with Steve Winwood as the opening act. Winwood joined Petty and the Heartbreakers on stage at select shows and performed his Spencer Davis Group hit "Gimme Some Lovin'", and occasionally he performed his Blind Faith hit "Can't Find My Way Home". In November 2009 the boxed set The Live Anthology, a compilation of live recordings from 1978 to 2006, was released.
In October 2022, the University of Florida's Pride of the Sunshine dedicated their halftime show to Tom Petty's music as part of the university's inaugural Tom Petty Day. The band would continue to tribute their performances to Tom Petty during halftime in several other games throughout the 2022–23 football season.
