Tom Petty died from a prescription drug cocktail after touring with a fractured hip.
A statement from the Petty Family is available at https://t.co/dUQukjayNE pic.twitter.com/L9HNJP3dIW
— Tom Petty (@tompetty) January 20, 2018
Tom Petty had several ailments before his death last fall.
“He toured for 53 dates with a fractured hip and, as he did, it worsened to a more serious injury.”
The statement from his family was posted on the late singer’s website. “On the day he 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 over use of medication.”
Petty’s system showed traces of fentanyl, oxycodone, temazepam, alprazolam, citalopram, acetyl fentanyl and despropionyl fentanyl.
Petty passed October 2 less than a week after he finished a tour with his band, The Heartbreakers. The singer had suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu, California. The death certificate, released a week later, listed his cause of death as “deferred”, pending an autopsy.
“We knew before the report was shared with us that he was prescribed various pain medications for multitude of issues including fentanyl patches and we feel confident that this was, as the coroner found, an unfortunate accident,” the statement read.
The family did add that it gave them closure. The singer “went painlessly and beautifully exhausted after doing what he loved the most, for one last time: performing live with his unmatchable rock band for his loyal fans on the biggest tour of his 40-plus year career.”
2016: Prince dies of opioid overdose.
2017: Tom Petty dies of opioid overdose.
2018: As many as 100 people per day, largely anonymous, are dying of opioid overdoses.— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) January 20, 2018
The National Safety Council released a statement Friday on the Petty’s passing. In the statement, they extended their deepest sympathies to those close to the musician. They made mention that the musical icon was taken too soon due to a preventable “opioid-involved overdose”. NSC pointed out the drug “silences more than 100 incredible voices every day.”
And the numbers continue to rise. 
We know Petty was right when he sang, “There ain’t no easy way out.” the statement recalled. “Indeed, there is no silver bullet for ending opioid misuse. But there are several things we can do including emptying medicine cabinets of unused pills, affixing “Opioids: Warn Me” labels to insurance cards so doctors know to discuss alternative pain relief options, and advocating for easy and affordable access to treatment.”
The NCS commended Petty’s family for “encouraging a dialogue about opioid misuse in the wake of this report. As his family rightly notes, many people who overdose begin using opioids following an injury, and they may not understand the risks. Artists and the music industry have an incredible platform from which to raise awareness and create change, and we urge them to follow the Petty family’s lead and use it.”
“Petty famously sang, `I will stand my ground.’ We join the Heartbreakers on the chorus “and we won’t back down” until we reverse this trend and Stop Everyday Killers,”
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