Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950 – October 2, 2017) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist and record producer. He was best known as the lead singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, but was also a member and co-founder of the late 1980s supergroup the Traveling Wilburys, and his early band Mudcrutch.
Petty recorded a number of hit singles with the Heartbreakers and as a solo artist, many of which are mainstays on adult contemporary and classic rock radio. His music has been classified as rock and roll, heartland rock, and even stoner rock. His music has become popular among younger generations. In his career, Petty sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In 2002, Petty was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Petty suffered cardiac arrest early in the morning of October 2, 2017 and died at 8:40 p.m. PDT at a hospital in Santa Monica, California. He was 66 years old.
Billboard Top 40 hits as Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers:
I Need To Know - #40
Breakdown - #40
Learning To Fly - #28
Change of Heart - #21
You Got Lucky - #20
The Waiting - #19
Jamming Me - #18
Refugee - #15
Mary Jane's Last Dance - #14
Don't Come Around Here No More - #13
Don't Do Me Like That - #10
Billboard solo hits/Tom Petty:
Needles & Pins - #37
Running Down A Dream - #23
You Don't Know How It Feels - #13
I Won't Back Down - #12
Free Fallin' - #7
The Traveling Wilburys had no Billboard Top 40 hits. They released three albums, with combined sales of almost 5 million copies in the US. Petty also had a hit duet with Stevie Nicks.
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - #3 Stevie Nicks with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.