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Rock Legend Tom Petty Dies at Age 66

Tom Petty / Getty
October 3, 2017

Rock legend Tom Petty died on Monday following cardiac arrest at the age of 66.

Petty, lead singer of the successful rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, was found unconscious on Sunday night at his Malibu, Calif. home. He was rushed to a hospital after it was determined the singer was brain dead. The decision was made to take him off life support, Reuters reports:

Petty suffered cardiac arrest and was found unconscious at his home in Malibu early on Monday morning and was taken to UCLA Medical Center but could not be revived, his long-time manager Tony Dimitriades said in a statement.

"We are devastated to announce the untimely death of our father, husband, brother, leader and friend Tom Petty," Dimitriades said on behalf of the family.

He died peacefully at 8:40 p.m. local time (0340 GMT Tuesday) surrounded by family, his bandmates and friends.

Bob Dylan called his death "shocking, crushing news" in a statement to Rolling Stone magazine.

Petty, best known for his roots-infused rock music, carved a career as a solo artist as well as with his band The Heartbreakers and as part of supergroup The Traveling Wilburys.

Petty was initially found in full cardiac arrest and unresponsive, according to reports.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee was famous for such hits as "Free Fallin,'" "You Don't Know How It Feels," "Yer So Bad," "Learning to Fly," "I Won't Back Down," and many more.