Is Tom Petty dead?Cause of Death, Net Worth, Wife, Children and Other Facts

The art of making music with your own voiceSounds through pitch and tone modulation have been part of mankind for centuries. Virtually every culture and race has produced singers of different standards, and we’re glad Tom Petty is one of this generation’s best-selling music artists.

Petty was interested in music during his early childhood and adolescence. He had to drop out of high school at age 17 to play bass for his first band, Mudcrutch.

Famed for his eclectic mix of blues, psychedelia, rock, country and pop, this musician had a life-changing experience at the age of 11 when he met his musical idol, Elvis Presley, who came to Florida to film.

After watching the filming of Presley’s Follow That Dream in Ocala , Tom developed a strong passion for music He later received an acoustic guitar as a Christmas present from his parents the following year. With the guitar and the consequent training, Petty completed the electric guitar playing and later began to compose his own songs. He titled the first song he worked on Baby I’m Going.

Find out more about the legendary singer, his family, net worth and of course other lesser known facts.

Tom Petty’s Bio (Age)

Tom is considered one of the finest musicians Gainesville has ever produced. He was born Thomas Earl Petty on October 29, 1950 in Gainesville, Florida, USA.

His mother, Kitty (née Avery), worked in the local tax office in Gainesville, while his father, Earl Petty, held several jobs around town to make ends meet. Growing up, Tom had a stormy relationship with his father, who was abusive, violent, a gambler and a heroin addict.

The singer has a younger sibling named BruceKleinlich. Nicknamed Charlie T. Wilbury Jr. and Muddy Wilbury, Petty has a multiracial background of some Scottish, distant Swiss German, English, Welsh and Scottish Irish/Northern Ireland countries. He attended Gainesville High School but dropped out at age 17 to play bass with his band.

His family – wife and children

Tom Petty had a bitter marital relationship in his first marriage, although he had music as his forte and built a solid career.

The veteran guitarist’s first wife was Jane Benyo, whom he met in high school. The couple married in 1974 and spent much of their years together in Gainesville before divorcing in 1996 after allegations that Jane physically and verbally abused him and their two daughters.

According to Petty, Benyo has a mental illnessAfter leaving Florida, she was drawn to California’s San Fernando Valley. He later moved out of that troubled home for Pacific Palisades in 1986, where he eventually sank into a deep depression and began using heroin.

His turbulent marital relationship with Jane produced two daughters – Kimberly Violet Petty and Adria Petty. While Kim works as an artist, Adria does well in the entertainment industry. She is a respected art director, editor, and artist famous for her collaborations with music powerhouses Regina Spektor and Beyoncé.

A few years later, the talented singer called it quits with Jane and began dating Dana York Epperson, a young woman he met at one of his Texas concerts in the early ’90s. Although the couple had met in the ’90s, they were not reconnected until 1996 (the same year Tom and his first wife divorced) and later married in 2001.

As the singer would always admit, his marriage relationship with his second wife saved his life. Dana is said to have stood by Tom during his years struggling with hard substances and also helped him rebuild his relationship with his daughters. However, the multi-instrumentalist’s short-lived relationship with Dana did not produce a child. Petty inherited a son named Dylan from his second wife. Dylan Petty was from York’s previous marriage.

Is Tom Petty dead? What caused his death?

The Gainesville-born star is dead. Tom breathed his last at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, California on October 2, 2017 at 8:40 p.m. at the age of 66.

Petty reportedly died of cardiac arrest after being found unconscious at his home in Santa Monica, California. He was buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery on October 16, 2017.

According to a medical report released by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner on January 19, 2018, the guitarist died from an accidental overdose of a variety of drugs.

As revealed by his family in a statement, in the years leading up to the You Don’t Know How It Feels after the death of the crooner, he suffered from several medical problems such as a hip fracture that actually occurred on his last tour, emphysema and knee problems.

His capital

The legendary Gainesville is undoubtedly the singer-songwriter and his band has had a glittering career bolstered by sell-out concerts, 11 top 10 albums, countless hits, 17 Grammy nominations and over 80 million record sales worldwide.

Over the course of his robust career, he has successfully netted a whopping $95 million. The annual income of his band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, was estimated by Forbes at $35 million in 2018. Interestingly, his notable net worth stemmed not only from his musical career but also from his roles in a handful of Hollywood films.

Tom made his film debut as Bridge City Mayor in the 1997 film The Postman . He also starred in The Simpsons in 2002 along with Keith Richards, Brian Setzer, Elvis Costello, Mick Jagger and Lenny Kravitz.

The It’s Good to Be King crooner was also featured in a music video titled Beautiful Day in 2010. He appeared alongside comedian Andy Samberg in a 5-second cameo in the video.

More facts about the singer

1. Tom Petty’s impressive career spanned four decades.

2. In 2012, the singer and his band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

3. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers formed in 1976. That same year they released their debut album entitled: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers .

4. The Gainesville band’s trademarks were All That Rock ‘n’ Roll, American Girl, and Mental Breakdown .

5. Tom Petty’s first solo CD after being signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1991 was Wildflowers. He released the hit in 1994.

6. The Wildflowers Hitmaker’s first band was the Sundowners. He formed the group at age 14 and later formed Mudcrutch at age 16.

7. Petty and his bandmates were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999 for their positive contribution to the recording community.

8. His musical group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York in December 2001.

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