Tom Petty, the artist who brought us songs like ‘Free Falling’ and ‘I Won’t Back Down’, was reported dead on October 2nd, 2017 at age 66.

According to CNN, Petty was brought into the hospital after being found in his Malibu home, unconscious and unresponsive due to a full cardiac-arrest. He was unable to be revived and was put on life support for the majority of the day. Petty was reportedly taken off life support during the day by his family with a ‘do not resuscitate’ order. He was declared dead at 8:40pm (Pacific time). Petty was surrounded by friends, family, and band members at the time of his death.

Despite officially passing away at 8:40pm, reports of his death came out much earlier in the day. The LAPD spoke out about the rumors, saying that they could not confirm Tom Petty’s death and to dispel the notion that he was already deceased.

Millions mourn the loss of the rock legend. One such mourner, Nashoba’s Mrs. Carter, had this to say; “Tom Petty was a brilliant performer. He connected with his audience in a way that not many performers can or did. His music was honest, and his music had a way of making me nostalgic for my youth.”

Petty started his music career from an early age, pulling inspiration from artists such as Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, etc. The BBC reports that he joined his first band, The Sundowners, at the age of 14. Petty later left the band to join The Epics (later changed to Mudcrutch) at the age of 17. He dropped out of school to join his band on their search for a record deal in Los Angeles. Mudcrutch later disbanded despite getting a record deal.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was formed soon after in 1975, consisting of Petty and two former band members from Mudcrutch. They played together until 1989, when Petty left for three years to pursue a solo career. He rejoined Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers after the three year break.

Later on in life he made music with some of his idols, such as Bob Dylan, in a band called the Traveling Wilburys. Tom Petty leaves behind not only his family, but millions of people who admired him and his work.