Tom Petty, legendary front man of “The Heartbreakers” and writer of such famous songs as “Free Fallin” and “I Won’t Back Down” died of a heart attack last week at the age of 66.
Petty, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, had said in recent interviews that he would be embarking on his final U.S. tour this year.
He performed his last show at the Hollywood Bowl on Sept. 25.
Petty’s style and sheer song writing ability transcended genre by spanning from folk and country, into rock and roll while helping to define and influence a generation of songwriters to follow in his footsteps.
Often tortured and defiant as well as angry yet familiarly warm, Petty, himself, struggled to define his own songwriting process.
“I hesitate to even try to understand it for fear that it might go away,” said Petty in the documentary on his life titled “Runnin’ Down a Dream.”
“It’s shocking, crushing news,” Bob Dylan wrote in a statement. “I thought the world of Tom.” He finished by saying, “He was a great performer, full of the light, a friend, and I’ll never forget him.”
Petty, the every-man’s rocker, did not have the attaché of a Bob Dylan, the meticulous touch of a Jeff Lynne, or the eerie mysticism of a George Harrison, all of whom he would later work with as members of the super group “The Traveling Wilburys.”
But, Petty’s down to earth, plain-spoken word-craft made his music accessible, relatable, and above all else, transcendent.
After hearing the news artists all over the world took to social media to express their surprise, grief, and admiration for the late rocker.
“I loved Tom Petty,” wrote John Mayer on Twitter. He continued to write, “I covered his songs because I wanted to know what it felt like to fly.”
But like most artists, much of Petty’s early catalog went largely unrecognized at the time of its release.
Petty had been near bankruptcy towards the end of the 1970’s, after having sold the publishing and royalty rights to his songs for $10,000 but found his biggest success in the 1979 album “Damn the Torpedoes,” reaching number two on the charts and triple platinum status.
“Damn the Torpedoes” established Petty as a hit making goliath in the industry, and provided him the leverage he needed to renegotiate his deal with MCA, signaling a shift in the way top-tier artists approached their record deals in the future.
“Full Moon Fever,” perhaps his most recognizable record, released in 1989, introduced a new and younger generation to the songwriting genius of Petty and even made Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of 100 best albums.
The albums opening track is perhaps Petty’s most famous and well-known hit, “Free Fallin,” where he offers one last piece of solace for those struggling to cope with the news of his untimely death.
Petty sang, “I’m gonna free fall out into nothin’. Gonna leave this world for a while.”