Musician Tom Petty suffered a cardiac arrest at his home Monday morning. Emergency responders were able to stimulate a pulse, and Petty was taken to a Los Angeles hospital in critical condition. However, he never regained consciousness, and after it was determined that brain activity had ceased, the decision was made to remove life support. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers had just concluded their 40th anniversary tour with a concert at the Hollywood Bowl last Monday. Petty had hinted that the tour would be his last.
"I'm thinking it may be the last trip around the country," says Petty. "It's very likely we'll keep playing, but will we take on 50 shows in one tour? I don't think so. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was thinking this might be the last big one. We're all on the backside of our sixties. I have a granddaughter now I'd like to see as much as I can. I don't want to spend my life on the road. This tour will take me away for four months. With a little kid, that's a lot of time."
After erroneous reports of Petty's death were published and retracted on Monday, CNN reported that Petty's death was confirmed by Tony Dimitriades, longtime manager of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Tom Petty was 66.
(Image credit: Takahiro Kyono)