Tom Petty’s Cause of Death is Released
It was one of the most surprising, upsetting, and saddest days of 2017. On October 2nd, Tom Petty was found unresponsive at his home in Malibu and rushed to the hospital and then placed on life support. News reports and push notifications were firing off throughout the day saying he had died, but the confirmation of his death didn't happen until late that night. The rock icon and hit-maker, Tom Petty, was dead at the age of 66.
All we were told at the time was that he died of cardiac arrest. After three-and-a-half months, a medical examiner has stated that Tom Petty died of an accidental overdose.
Not only was Tom suffering from coronary artery disease, he was also suffering from emphysema, knee problems, and a fractured hip. In a statement written by his wife Dana and daughter Adria, they said that "On the day he died, he was informed his hip had graduated to a full-on break and it is our feeling that the pain was simply unbearable and was the cause for his overuse of medication."
In the statement released by his family, Tom had prescription drugs to treat the emphysema, knee, and hip issues. In the coroner's report, it said that he had taken several pain medications, including Fentanyl, oxycodone, and generic Xanax. There were other medications, including Restoril and generic Celexa, which treats depression.
It was reported after his death that Tom fought through a lot of pain during the Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers 40th Anniversary tour. He was committed to the tour and their commitment to their fans.
In their statement, the Petty family said, "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."
SOURCE: Rolling Stone
One of the most memorable tributes to Tom happened in his hometown of Gainesville, Florida at "The Swamp", which is home to the University of Florida. The Gator fans sang along to one his songs to begin the fourth quarter. Goosebumps.