Legendary American singer, songwriter, leader of the Heartbreakers and core member of the Traveling Wilburys, Tom Petty, has passed away following a cardiac arrest in the early hours of Monday morning.
He died at 8:40pm PDT at the University of California-Los Angeles’ Santa Monica hospital.
Thomas Earl Petty was best known as the lead singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, although his commercial peak came with the release of his first solo album, Full Moon Fever in 1989. Featuring the monster hits Free Fallin’ and I Won’t Back Down, it was produced by his bandmate in the Traveling Wilburys, Jeff Lynne (also of Electric Light Orchestra). The pair continued their fruitful relationship on the next Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album, Into the Great Wide Open, which spawned the hit Learning to Fly.
They also produced two popular Traveling Wilburys albums alongside bandmates George Harrison, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison (first album only).
A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee with the Heartbreakers in 2002, it was only last week that the group wrapped up their 40th anniversary tour at the Hollywood Bowl in LA.
