Tom Petty, Legendary Singer, Dies At 66

MALIBU, CA —Tom Petty, the legendary, multi-platinum-selling singer, songwriter and guitarist who blended the swagger of the Rolling Stones with the folk rock sensibility of Bob Dylan, died Monday, a family statement said. He was 66.

“On behalf of the Tom Petty family, we are devastated to announce the untimely death of of our father, husband, brother, leader and friend Tom Petty. He suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu in the early hours of this morning and was taken to UCLA Medical Center but could not be revived," Tony Dimitriades, longtime manager of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, said in the statement. "He died peacefully at 8:40 p.m. PT surrounded by family, his bandmates and friends."

Petty was found unconscious at his Malibu, California, home, according to TMZ. He was best known as the lead singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, but had also recorded solo work and collaborated with musical luminaries such as Bob Dylan, George Harrison of the Beatles and Stevie Nicks. Petty sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

Watch: Legendary Musician Tom Petty Dies At 66

Thomas Earl Petty was born on Oct. 20, 1950, in Gainesville, Florida. He attended Gainesville High School until he dropped out, at the age of 17, to form the band Mudcrutch, which featured future Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench. In 1976, he formed his backing band, The Heartbreakers, which in addition to Campbell on guitar and Tench on keyboards, featured bassist Ron Blair and drummer Stan Lynch. Their third album, “Damn the Torpedoes,” which included the hits “Refugee,” “Here Comes My Girl” and “Even The Losers,” was their first Top 40 album and eventually went triple platinum, selling more than 3 million copies.

Parallel to his career leading The Heartbreakers, Petty enjoyed a successful solo career, starting with the 1989 album “Full Moon Fever,” which included hit songs “Free Fallin’” and “Runnin’ Down a Dream.” The album, which was produced by Jeff Lynne and included several members from the Heartbreakers, reached No. 3 on the charts and went multi-platinum. He also released the popular solo albums “Wildflowers” (1994) and “Highway Companion” (2006).

In 1988, Petty, Dylan, Harrison, Lynne and Roy Orbison formed the supergroup, The Traveling Wilburys, which released two albums and recorded the hits “Handle With Care” and “End Of The Line.” The band never toured. Petty and the Heartbreakers served as Dylan’s backing band during the True Confessions tour in 1986.

Petty and the Heartbreakers wrapped up their 40th anniversary tour with three nights at the Hollywood Bowl, concluding Monday, Sept. 25.

In 2002, Petty was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He had won countless awards for his music, including three Grammy awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, a Radio Music Award and a Billboard Music Award.

He married Jane Benyo on March 31, 1974 – they have two daughters, Adria and AnnaKim Violette. Petty and Benyo divorced in 1996, and he subsequently married Dana York Epperson in 2001.

Obituary by Patch staffers Emily Holland and Michael Lello. Feroze Dhanoa contributed reporting.

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