Tom Petty died last week at the age of 66, his last show at the Hollywood Bowl the night before. Tom and the Heartbreakers had been on a 40th-anniversary tour which began earlier this year and would end with two shows in New York in November. Over the weekend country music star Jason Aldean (starring on ‘SNL’ played Tom’s “I Won’t Back Down,” to the delight of the studio audience and millions of television watchers.
How prolific of a songwriter was Tom? He had been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame just last year, but when you consider these songs: “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” “Free “Fallin’,” “American Girl,” “Here Comes My Girl,” ”Don’t Come Around Here No More,” you begin to realize the contribution he and his bandmates had made.
Tom had his own satellite channel and Hollywood Walk of Fame star. He and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and winners of Grammy, Billboard, and MTV awards during their careers. Tom was named 2017’s ‘MusiCares Person of the Year,’ an honor he dearly cherished.
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