Tom Petty Dies After Suffering Full Cardiac Arrest
After all the online confusion that took place, the terrible news is finally confirmed.
Rock icon Tom Petty died Monday after suffering a full cardiac arrest at his Malibu home. Petty, 66, was rushed to a hospital in Los Angeles where doctors tried to revive him, reported CNN.
Petty's death was confirmed by close friend and manager of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers band, Tony Dimitriades.
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"He suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu in the early hours of this morning and was taken to UCLA Medical Center but could not be revived. He died peacefully at 8:40pm PT surrounded by family, his bandmates and friends," said Dimitriades in a statement.
Prior to Demitriades' confirmation, news of Petty's demise quickly swirled online. Reports, however, did not come without much confusion. According to an ABC News report, CBS News erroneously published an obituary of Petty, after allegedly receiving confirmation of the rock star's death from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
Once the news broke out Monday afternoon, online tributes from various artists have flooded different social media platforms. Posts from artists like Cindy Lauper, Kid Rock, and Courtney Love, among others, quickly spread. Apart from CBS, Variety also ran the story, saying an unknown source confirmed the death.
Moments later, the LAPD released a statement saying they did not have any information regarding Petty's current condition at that time. They also said that "initial information was inadvertently provided to some media sources."
"We apologize for any inconvenience in this reporting," the LAPD statement added.
After the clarification, CBS and Variety corrected their stories, with the former also releasing their own statement. The news outfit, however, still maintained that they received their information from the LAPD.
Born in Gainesville, FL on October 20, 1950, Petty grew up with a troubled childhood. Independent reported that the rock legend rose from poverty and survived an abusive and alcoholic father. Things came to a dramatic change when Petty personally encountered Elvis Presley in the 1950s. The meeting paved his interest for rock and roll.
He would go on to establish Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers in the 1970s, which saw him climb up the ladder of fame and fortune. His group was known for hits like "Listen to Her Heart," "American Girl," and "Free Fallin."
