Petty overcame a difficult relationship with his father. He said his father found it difficult to accept that Petty was "a mild-mannered kid who was interested in the arts" and subjected him to verbal and physical abuse on a regula… See more

On October 1, 2017, Petty's wife Dana York found him not breathing and in cardiac arrest at their home. He was resuscitated and taken to the UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, California, where he was put on … See more

Petty owned and used a number of guitars over the years. From 1976 to 1982, his main instrument was a sunburst 1964 Fender Stratocaster. He also used Rickenbacker guitars from 1979 onwards. The Ricken… See more

In 1994, You Got Lucky, a Petty tribute album featuring such bands as Everclear and Silkworm was released.
In April 1996, Petty received UCLA's George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Mu… See more