UPDATE (October 3, 2017 at 1 am EST): Petty’s death has now been confirmed.
Tom Petty’s condition is unknown following the singer’s hospitalization for cardiac arrest
Update: After premature reports caused confusion, the rock icon’s death has been confirmed.
Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Sacks & Co
Aja Romano wrote about pop culture, media, and ethics. Before joining Vox in 2016, they were a staff reporter at the Daily Dot. A 2019 fellow of the National Critics Institute, they’re considered an authority on fandom, the internet, and the culture wars.
Legendary rock musician Tom Petty has been hospitalized after suffering cardiac arrest, according to TMZ, resulting in widespread uncertainty about his condition. Petty is 66.
He was reportedly found unconscious at his home in Malibu on Sunday night, just days after concluding his 40th anniversary tour with his band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on September 25, capping off a 53-show tour with a sold-out three-day run at the Hollywood Bowl.
After TMZ first reported the news of Petty’s hospitalization on Monday afternoon, rumors erupted that the rocker had been placed on life support. CBS News later tweeted that Petty had died after being removed from life support, per confirmation from the Los Angeles Police Department. However, it then deleted its original tweet (others remain) and said that the LAPD was unable to confirm the singer’s status. The LAPD confirmed on Twitter that it has “no information about the passing of singer Tom Petty.”
The latest reports indicate that Petty is still “clinging to life.”
This story is developing.
