Caramel Corn

Name
Tom Petty

Known For
Acting

Birthday
1950-10-20

Deathday
2017-10-02 (67 years old)

Place of Birth
Gainesville, Florida, USA

Biography

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.

Known For

Movies

Tv Shows

1980 No Nukes as Self
2021 Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts as Self
2007 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream as Self
1997 The Postman as Bridge City Mayor
2003 Concert for George as Self
2001 America | A Tribute to Heroes as Self - Performer
1987 Made in Heaven as Stanky
2007 The True History Of The Traveling Wilburys as Self
2007 Crystal Visions: The Very Best of Stevie Nicks
2012 Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne & ELO as Self
2013 Sound City as Self
1999 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - High Grass Dogs - Live from the Fillmore as Himself
1993 Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration as Self
2016 Night Flight: Born Again as Self
2014 Roy Orbison: Mystery Girl - Unraveled as Self
1995 Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers: Playback as Self
1995 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: 400 Days as Self
1986 Hard to Handle: Bob Dylan in Concert as Self
2003 Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers: Live in Concert as vocals, guitar
1984 The Everly Brothers: Songs of Innocence and Experience as Self
2018 Elvis Presley: The Searcher
1997 Wired for Sound: A Guitar Odyssey as Self
1986 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Pack Up the Plantation - Live!
1980 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Rock Goes to College as Performer
2012 Mike Campbell: The Guitars as Self
1985 Live Aid as Self
2019 Echo in the Canyon as Self
1994 Tom Petty: Going Home as Self
1992 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Take the Highway Live as Self
2005 Live Aid: 20 Years Ago Today as Self
2008 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Live from Gatorville
2010 Classic Albums: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Damn the Torpedoes as Self
1989 Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - A Bunch Of Videos And Some Other Stuff as Self
2004 Live Aid as Self
1999 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Live at the Docks, Hamburg as himself
Soon Tom Petty - Mojo Tour 2010
2021 Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free as Himself (archive footage)
2005 Tom Petty & Heartbreakers - Free Fallin' as Lead Vocals / Guitar
2015 $aving Dat Money as Self
1978 FM as Self
2003 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Live at the Olympic (The Last DJ) as Singer, Guitar
1986 Bridge School Benefit Concert 1986 as Self
2024 Heartbreakers Beach Party as Self
2006 Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers: 30th Anniversary Concert as himself
2015 It's Only Rock 'n' Roll: Rock 'n' Roll at the BBC as Self (archive footage)
1999 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: VH1 Storytellers as Self
1995 Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn't Made for These Times as Self
2025 Fame and Fentanyl as Self (archive footage)
2008 The Best Of Sound Stage
1978 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - The Old Grey Whistle Test

1989 The Simpsons ( 1 episode ) as Tom Petty (voice)
1997 King of the Hill ( 24 episodes ) as Lucky (voice)
1997 Classic Albums ( 1 episode ) as Self
1997 King of the Hill ( 1 episode ) as Lucky / Mud Dobber (voice)
1984 MTV Video Music Awards ( 2 episodes ) as Self
2018 Elvis Presley: The Searcher ( 2 episodes ) as Self
1995 The History of Rock 'n' Roll ( 11 episodes ) as Self
1975 Saturday Night Live ( 7 episodes ) as Self - Musical Guest
1997 King of the Hill ( 3 episodes ) as Lucky (voice) (uncredited)
2017 The Defiant Ones ( 4 episodes ) as Self
1997 Behind the Music ( 1 episode ) as Self
1971 The Old Grey Whistle Test ( 1 episode )
Soon Life, Death and Money ( 1 episode ) as self - archival footage
1986 It's Garry Shandling's Show ( 2 episodes ) as Tom Petty
2011 George Harrison: Living in the Material World ( 2 episodes ) as Self
1974 Rockpalast ( 1 episode )
1980 Fridays ( 1 episode ) as Self - Musical Guest
2003 Soundstage ( 2 episodes ) as Self - vocals, guitar
1992 The Larry Sanders Show ( 2 episodes ) as Tom Petty
1993 Late Show with David Letterman ( 1 episode ) as Self - Musical Guest
2016 Soundbreaking ( 3 episodes ) as Self

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