Tom Petty’s family says his death last year was due to an accidental drug overdose…
LOS ANGELES — Tom Petty’s family says his death last year was due to an accidental drug overdose.
His wife and daughter released the results of Petty’s autopsy via a statement Friday on his Facebook page. Dana and Adria Petty say they got the results from the coroner’s office earlier in the day that the overdose was due to a variety of medications.
The statement was posted moments before the Los Angeles coroner’s office issued its official findings, which confirmed that Petty had a variety of medications, including fentanyl and oxycodone, in his system.
Petty suffered from emphysema, a fractured hip and knee problems that caused him pain, the family said, but he was still committed to touring.
He had just wrapped up a tour a few days before he died in October at age 66.
The family said Petty had been prescribed various pain medications for his multitude of issues, including fentanyl patches, and « we feel confident that this was, as the coroner found, an unfortunate accident. »
They added: « As a family we recognize this report may spark a further discussion on the opioid crisis and we feel that it is a healthy and necessary discussion and we hope in some way this report can save lives. Many people who overdose begin with a legitimate injury or simply do not understand the potency and deadly nature of these medications. »
Petty was a rock superstar with the persona of an everyman who drew upon the Byrds, Beatles and other bands he worshipped as a boy in Gainesville, Florida. He produced classics that include « Free Fallin’, » »Refugee » and « American Girl. » He and his longtime band the Heartbreakers had recently completed a 40th-anniversary tour, one he hinted would be their last.
The shaggy-haired blond rose to success in the 1970s and went on to sell more than 80 million records. He was loved for his melodic hard rock, nasally vocals and down-to-earth style. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted Petty and the Heartbreakers in 2002, praised them as « durable, resourceful, hardworking, likable and unpretentious. »
