Tom Petty
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 conclusion in 2009. Petty died of an accidental drug overdose in 2017 at the age of 66, one week after the end of the Heartbreakers' 40th Anniversary Tour. On December 4, 2023, Petty's song "Love Is a Long Road" was used in the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI, which is considered one of the most anticipated video games ever made. This trailer gained over 90 million YouTube views within the first 24 hours. Because of this immense bump in popularity, the song itself gained nearly 1 million YouTube views in the same time span, gained a 36,979% increase on Spotify, had almost 250,000 searches on Shazam, and ranked second on the worldwide iTunes chart.
Born: 20 October 1950 • Died: 02 October 2017
Played In
Fame and Fentanyl
Self (archive footage)
Heartbreakers Beach Party
Self
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts
Self
Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free
Himself (archive footage)
Echo in the Canyon
Self
Elvis Presley: The Searcher
Elvis Presley: The Searcher
Self
The Defiant Ones
Self
Soundbreaking
Self
Night Flight: Born Again
Self
$aving Dat Money
Self
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll: Rock 'n' Roll at the BBC
Self (archive footage)
Roy Orbison: Mystery Girl - Unraveled
Self
Sound City
Self
Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne & ELO
Self
Mike Campbell: The Guitars
Self
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Self
Classic Albums: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Damn the Torpedoes
Self
The Best Of Sound Stage
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Live from Gatorville
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream
Self
The True History Of The Traveling Wilburys
Self
Crystal Visions: The Very Best of Stevie Nicks
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers: 30th Anniversary Concert
himself
Live Aid: 20 Years Ago Today
Self
Tom Petty & Heartbreakers - Free Fallin'
Lead Vocals / Guitar
Live Aid
Self
Concert for George
Self
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Live at the Olympic (The Last DJ)
Singer, Guitar
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers: Live in Concert
vocals, guitar
Soundstage
Self - vocals, guitar
America | A Tribute to Heroes
Self - Performer
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - High Grass Dogs - Live from the Fillmore
Himself
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: VH1 Storytellers
Self
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Live at the Docks, Hamburg
himself
The Postman
Bridge City Mayor
Wired for Sound: A Guitar Odyssey
Self
Behind the Music
Self
Classic Albums
Self
King of the Hill
Lucky (voice)
King of the Hill
Lucky / Mud Dobber (voice)
King of the Hill
Lucky (voice) (uncredited)
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers: Playback
Self
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: 400 Days
Self
Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
Self
The History of Rock 'n' Roll
Self
Tom Petty: Going Home
Self
Late Show with David Letterman
Self - Musical Guest
Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration
Self
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Take the Highway Live
Self
The Larry Sanders Show
Tom Petty
The Simpsons
Tom Petty (voice)
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - A Bunch Of Videos And Some Other Stuff
Self
Made in Heaven
Stanky
It's Garry Shandling's Show
Tom Petty
Hard to Handle: Bob Dylan in Concert
Self
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Pack Up the Plantation - Live!
Bridge School Benefit Concert 1986
Self
Live Aid
Self
The Everly Brothers: Songs of Innocence and Experience
Self
MTV Video Music Awards
Self
No Nukes
Self
Fridays
Self - Musical Guest
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Rock Goes to College
Performer
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - The Old Grey Whistle Test
FM
Self
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Live at Rockpalast
Saturday Night Live
Self - Musical Guest
Rockpalast
The Old Grey Whistle Test
Tom Petty - Mojo Tour 2010
Life, Death and Money
self - archival footage