U.S. rock legend Tom Petty has died after a cardiac arrest at his Malibu California home. He was 66-years-old.
Petty’s family said he was taken to the hospital early Monday, but could not be revived. They said he died Monday evening “surrounded by family, his bandmates and friends.”
The rock star wrapped his most recent tour last week at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. In December, Petty told Rolling Stone that he thought this would be the group’s last tour together. He said, “It’s very likely we’ll keep playing, but will we take on 50 shows in one tour? I don’t think so. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was thinking this might be the last big one.”
“It’s shocking, crushing news,” Petty’s friend and Traveling Wilburys bandmate Bob Dylan told Rolling Stone magazine in a statement. “I thought the world of Tom. He was great performer, full of the light, a friend, and I’ll never forget him.”
Petty rose to fame in the 1970s with his band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. They were known for hits such as “American Girl,” “Free Fallin” and “Listen to Her Heart.” The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
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