Words can’t describe how saddened I am by the loss of Tom Petty. I went to see him on the ‘Mojo‘ Tour with my dad in 2010, and I honestly thought my dad and I would get the chance to enjoy a live performance by him again in the near future. We were going to see him at Summerfest again this past summer, but my dad got sick, so we decided to spend much needed time together before Summerfest, at home alone, in case time was a factor. I’m mentioning my dad heavily in this eulogy, because he’s the man that’s responsible for everything that has to do with me; my very existence, my love for everything music, the family member that passed along the ability to play music to me, the person that bought me my first drum set when I was 8, and most importantly – the reason for my love of Tom Petty.
Growing up in Kenosha, we would play basketball in our driveway and listen to Tom Petty’s ‘Damn the Torpedos‘ and his singles on the radio all day long. This helped blossom my obsession with sports and rock n roll. Life was a lot simpler and easier back then. It’s going to be a very long time until I can listen to Tom’s music and not well up with tears. For now, I’ll try my best at using his songs to remember the simpler times of my youth and all the memories that Tom’s music and I made together along the road after that, which are more memories than I’ll be able to count or remember.
Rest easy Tom. Thank you for changing my life and inspiring me with your every move.
Love,
Jonny
