5 Things You Might Not Know About Tom Petty

Iconic musician Tom Petty died late Monday after being found Sunday night in cardiac arrest, TMZ reported. He had clung to life throughout the day.

Here are five things you may not know about the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.

1. He played at Live Aid and Farm Aid.

Tom Petty played at both Live Aid in 1985, where he re-popularized “American Girl,” and the first two Farm Aid shows beginning in 1985 to raise money for Ethiopians in the middle of a famine and to benefit family farmers in the U.S. who risked losing their farms to debt. The concerts raised millions and helped America reach out to others in the world who needed help.

2. He was a crusader for artistic control.

Petty was a crusader for artists having control over their music and performances. He famously refused to be transferred to another record company without his consent and would not let MCA raise the "Hard Promises" album price from $8.98 to $9.98, according to Spin.

3. He donated to New Orleans schools’ music programs after Hurricane Katrina.

By putting a song on the Fats Domino tribute album in 2007, Petty helped rebuild schools’ music programs after Katrina alongside other legends such as Elton John, Paul McCartney, and Neil Young.

4. He stood against greed in the music industry.

Petty capped his concert ticket prices at $65 instead of the nearly $150 many artists of his caliber were charging in the early 2000s. “I make millions on the road,” he said, not seeing a reason to charge so much that only the wealthy could afford to go to his shows, according to Rolling Stone.

5. He kicked a heroin habit in the '90s.

He didn’t talk about it until the late 2000s so he wouldn’t be a bad example to young people, but Petty finally did let it be known in a biography that he'd had a heroin problem and had overcome it.

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