Tom Petty

Tom Petty
Petty performing in Denmark in 2012
Petty performing in Denmark in 2012
Background information
Birth nameThomas Earl Petty
Also known as
  • Charlie T. Wilbury Jr.
  • Muddy Wilbury
Born(1950-10-20)October 20, 1950
Gainesville, Florida, U.S.
DiedOctober 2, 2017(2017-10-02) (aged 66)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • harmonica
DiscographyTom Petty discography
Years active1967–2017
Labels
Formerly of
Websitetompetty.com
Signature

Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950 – October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was the leader and frontman of the rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. He was also a successful solo artist.

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).

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.[1] He also acted; he had a recurring role as the voice of Lucky Kleinschmidt in the animated comedy series King of the Hill from 2004 to the show's conclusion in 2009.[2]

Petty died of an accidental drug overdose in 2017 at the age of 66, one week after the end of the Heartbreakers' 40th Anniversary Tour.[3][4]

  1. ^ "2018 MusiCares Person of the Year: Fleetwood Mac". Grammy.org. July 28, 2015. Archived from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference forbes100217 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Tom Petty, Rock And Roll Hero, Dies At 66". Grammy.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  4. ^ "Tom Petty's Cause of Death: Accidental Overdose". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.