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Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950 – October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was the leader and frontman of the rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. He was also a successful solo artist.

Over the course of his career, Petty sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. His hit singles with the Heartbreakers include "American Girl" (1976), "Don't Do Me Like That" (1979), "Refugee" (1980), "The Waiting" (1981), "Don't Come Around Here No More" (1985) and "Learning to Fly" (1991). Petty's solo hits include "I Won't Back Down" (1989), "Free Fallin'" (1989), and "You Don't Know How It Feels" (1994).

Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Petty was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year in February 2017 for his contributions to music and for his philanthropy. He also acted; he had a recurring role as the voice of Lucky Kleinschmidt in the animated comedy series King of the Hill from 2004 to the show's original conclusion in 2009.

Petty died of an accidental prescription drug overdose in October 2017 at the age of 66, one week after the end of the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' 40th Anniversary Tour.

Early life and education

Petty was born on October 20, 1950, in Gainesville, Florida, the first of two sons of Kitty Petty (née Avery), a local tax office worker, and Earl Petty, a traveling salesman. His brother, Bruce, was seven years younger.

Petty grew up in the Northeast Gainesville Residential District, known locally as the Duckpond. After his death, a historical marker was placed in the neighborhood and a nearby park was renamed to Tom Petty Park.

Petty attended Howard Bishop Middle School, where he played Little League baseball and basketball. He then attended Gainesville High School, graduating in 1968.

Career

Petty's interest in rock and roll music began at age ten when he had an opportunity to meet Elvis Presley. In the summer of 1961, his uncle was working on the set of Presley's film Follow That Dream, in nearby Ocala, and invited Petty to watch the movie's filming.

Petty instantly became a Presley fan. When he returned that Saturday, he was greeted by his friend Keith Harben, and soon traded his Wham-O slingshot for a collection of Elvis 45s. Of that meeting with Presley, Petty said, "Elvis glowed."

In 2006, Petty said he knew he wanted to be in a band the moment he saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. "The minute I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show—and it's true of thousands of guys—there was the way out. There was a way to do it. You get your friends and you're a self-contained unit. And you make the music. And it looked like so much fun. It was something I identified with. I had never been hugely into sports. ... I had been a big fan of Elvis. But I really saw in the Beatles that here's something I could do. I knew I could do it. It wasn't long before there were groups springing up in garages all over the place." He later said that the Rolling Stones inspired him by demonstrating that he and musicians like him could make it in rock and roll.

Don Felder, a fellow Gainesville resident who later joined the Eagles, wrote in his autobiography that he was one of Petty's first guitar teachers although Petty said that Felder taught him to play piano instead.