Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney Pay Tribute to Tom Petty

Dylan, who previously performed with Petty in the supergroup Traveling Wilburys, which also featured George Harrison, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne, gave a statement to Rolling Stone shortly after the news of Petty’s death broke.

“It’s shocking, crushing news,” Dylan told Rolling Stone. “I thought the world of Tom. He was a great performer, full of the light, a friend, and I’ll never forget him.”

Springsteen, a close friend of Petty’s, shared on Twitter that he was “heartbroken” over Petty’s passing, referring to the Heartbreakers’ frontman as a “long lost brother.

“Down here on E Street, we’re devastated and heartbroken over the death of Tom Petty. Our hearts go out to his family and bandmates,” Springsteen wrote. “I’ve always felt a deep kinship with his music. A great songwriter and performer, whenever we saw each other it was like running into a long lost brother. Our world will be a sadder place without him.”

McCartney kept his thoughts brief, writing on Twitter, “Sending love to Tom Petty and his family at this difficult time.”

Along with many, many other artists across all genres, Coldplay paid tribute to Petty by performing a cover of Petty’s classic 1989 hit “Free Fallin'” alongside Peter Buck of R.E.M.

Petty, 66, was found unconscious in his Malibu home on Sunday, in full cardiac arrest. After being taken to the hospital, the decision was eventually made to pull Petty off life support.

Revisit Traveling Wilbury’s “End of the Line” below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwqhdRs4jyA