BreakingRock star Tom Petty dead at 66, after swirl of confusion about his condition
Traveling Wilburys supergroup bandmate Bob Dylan leads tributes to Petty, who had just embarked on a 40th anniversary tour with his regular band, The Heartbreakers
Veteran rocker Tom Petty, best known for hits such as Free Fallin’ and American Girl, died on Monday after he was found unconscious and in cardiac arrest, his manager said. He was 66.
Petty suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu early on Monday morning and was taken to UCLA Medical Centre but could not be revived, his long-time manager Tony Dimitriades said in a statement.
“We are devastated to announce the untimely death of our father, husband, brother, leader and friend Tom Petty,” Dimitriades said on behalf of the family.
He died peacefully at 8.40pm local time surrounded by family, his bandmates and friends.
For several hours, there was confusion about whether Petty had died, after CBS News published his obituary on Monday afternoon. However, the Los Angeles Police Department later denied confirming his death, as initially reported by CBS.
