Tom Petty: 1950-2017
CBC News | Posted: October 3, 2017 6:53 PM | Last Updated: October 3, 2017
The veteran rocker appeared on stage with the Heartbreakers and the Traveling Wilburys
Legendary rocker Tom Petty has died at 66. Petty and his backing band, the Heartbreakers, completed a 40th anniversary tour last week, and he had hinted the tour would be their last.
Petty suffered cardiac arrest and was found unconscious at his Malibu home early Monday morning. He was taken for treatment but could not be revived.
His music career spanned decades and sparked many memorable moments. Here are some of them.
Breaking hearts with the Heartbreakers
In one of his biggest performances, Petty performed with the Heartbreakers during the Super Bowl XLII halftime show in February 2008. Here he is alongside band members Mike Campbell, left, and Benmont Tench, right, at a press conference just days before the big performance.
The performance at the big game between New York Giants and New England Patriots was a standout. He played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. before fans in the stadium and millions more watching at home on TV.
Less than a year before taking the stage at the Super Bowl, Tom Petty and his band were featured in the Peter Bogdanovich documentary film Runnin' Down A Dream: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Here, the group poses at the premiere of the film in Burbank, Calif., October 2007.
While considered one one of the all-time great rock backup bands — up there with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band — Petty wouldn't give ground. He believed the Heartbreakers was America's best band.
The Heartbreakers wasn't the only band of which Petty was a part. He joined fellow legends Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne in the super group the Traveling Wilburys. Here he is on stage with Bob Dylan.
Family man
As much time as Petty spent on stage with the Heartbreakers, it wasn't uncommon to see him in front of the cameras with his family. Here he is with his wife, Dana York, at the 31st annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards in Hollywood in 2014.
His daughter also entered the entertainment industry, becoming a director. Here she is with her parents at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles.
Petty's son Dylan, also made it out for the the premiere of Runnin' Down A Dream: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 2007. While he spent time with his family in the public eye, Petty recently said he wanted to give up life on the road to spend more time with his granddaughter.
Life in the limelight
His lengthy and storied music career also meant he'd appear on television to promote his music. Here, Petty is on NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2003.
Petty would also rub elbows with Hollywood types. Here he is with Entourage's Debi Mazar for The Midnight Mission's 11th Annual Golden Heart Awards in 2011.
A musician's musician
Petty has cited The Byrds, The Beatles and Elvis as some of his influences, but he was known to influence other artists as well.
Here Petty and Elvis Costello attend the Songwriters Hall Of Fame 47th Annual Induction And Awards last year in New York City.
Petty was inducted alongside Costello, Nile Rodgers and several others during the ceremony.
Petty was a big music fan, and often took the stage with other performers. In 2009, he performed with the Allman Brothers Band in Los Angeles. Here he is gearing up for the concert with Gregg Allman.
Petty also performed with more contemporary acts, including Dave Grohl of The Foo Fighters. Here they are with the Heartbreakers at the AmsterJam concert in 2006 in New York.
Petty was frequently on hand for Hollywood Walk of Fame inductions. In 2009, he was there for the unveiling of Beatles legend George Harrison's star alongside Jeff Lynne, Paul McCartney, Olivia Harrison and Dhani Harrison. The star was a posthumous honour for Harrison, who was also a member of the Travelling Wilburys super group.
Singer and songwriter Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra, also a part of the Travelling Wilburys, was honoured with a star in 2015. Petty, left, was seen with Joe Walsh, right, at the ceremony.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were also honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At the time of the unveiling, the group had been together for more than three decades and sold over 30 million albums.
The star was among many honours the group received. In 2002, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted the group and praised them as "durable, resourceful, hardworking, likeable and unpretentious."
Once news broke of Petty's massive heart attack, fans visited Petty's star with candles and flowers. Petty died at Los Angeles' UCLA Medical Center on Monday night, a day after he suffered cardiac arrest at home.