Photo courtesy David W. Baker.
Twenty thousand individuals — that’s the number of overdose deaths in 2016 from synthetic opioid fentanyl, a drug that killed Prince and has now taken Tom Petty. (More on fentanyl here.) Fentanyl caused a huge portion of the 64,000 total U.S. drug deaths in 2016. All of this is according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Needless to say, this opioid crisis is of unbelievable magnitude.
All-American roots-rocker Tom Petty died in October 2017, and coroner Jonathan Lucas said last week that Petty’s body showed residue of Xanax and temezapam (benzodiazepines often prescribed for insomnia or anxiety), Celexa (an antidepressant), plus two kinds of fentanyl and another opioid, Oxycontin.
The 66-year-old had just completed a tour with his band, The Heartbreakers, when the overdose occurred.
A fractured hip, knee problems, and emphysema were the conditions and disease for which he required pain meds.
Petty’s wife, Dana, and daughter Adria released a statement on Facebook last Friday saying that, on the day he died, Petty’s hip had evolved into a full-on break, leading him to overuse his medication. They said they believed the overdose was an accident.
“As a family, 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,” the statement reads. “Many people who overdose do not understand the potency and deadly nature of these medications.”
Tom Petty was one of the most honored and beloved singer-songwriters in rock ‘n’ roll, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. With his band The Heartbreakers, Petty sold more than 80 million records, making him one of the most successful recording artists of all time.
Petty was a hit-making machine, with songs like “Free Fallin’,” “I Won’t Back Down,” and the ‘90s MTV hit “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” cementing his place in the annals of popular music.
Now, our beloved Tom Petty has indeed performed his last dance, one that hopefully will increase dialogue about the dangers of opioids.
Watch below: Tom Petty plays “Free Fallin'” at the Super Bowl in 2008.
