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Tom Petty was the best. He and his band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers defined Rock and Roll and created more classics than should be possible for just one band. Unfortunately, his October 2, 2017 opioid-related death was all too common in the rock world.
Last Dance
At the age of 66, the famed rock star’s life was catching up with him. Despite frequent speculation that each tour would be his last, he kept going. While fans continued to enjoy Petty and his band, his physical ailments were getting worse.
Petty suffered from a coronary artery disease, emphysema, messed up knees, and a fractured hip. Nevertheless, he continued to perform for 53 tour dates. He went down swingin’.
In a statement after his death, Petty’s family released a statement saying “On the day [Petty] 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.”
The coroner announced that Tom Petty died from “multisystem organ failure due to resuscitated cardiopulmonary arrest due to mixed drug toxicity.” In other words, he’d had a cardiac arrest due to a mix of drugs. The drugs found in his system included Fentanyl, oxycodone, generic Xanax, a generic form of a sleep aid called Restoril, and a generic antidepressant Celexa. His overdose was apparently accidental and an attempt at pain management.
Wakeup Time
Tom Petty inspired a lot of people and many of us still feel his loss. We are lucky that we’ll always have his music. And we can also learn from his unfortunate exit. The combination of opioids brought down a giant such as him can do any of us in if we let them. If you’re on painkillers don’t mix them. And if you’re using opioids or other drugs recreationally, find a way off them. Wherever you are, find a detox program help. If you’re in Florida, call us.
