Musician Tom Petty, who died last year at age 66, perished as the result of an accidental overdose, his family said Friday in a Facebook post.
Our family sat together this morning with the Medical Examiner – Coroner’s office and we were informed of their final analysis that “Tom Petty passed away due to an accidental drug overdose as a result of taking a variety of medications,” the statement said. “Unfortunately Tom’s body suffered from many serious ailments including emphysema, knee problems and most significantly a fractured hip.”
The family continued, “Despite this painful injury he insisted on keeping his commitment to his fans and he toured for 53 dates with a fractured hip and, as he did, it worsened to a more serious injury.”
“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,” the statement added.
According to the coroner, the “Don’t Do Me Like That” musician had a number of medications in his system, including Fentanyl.
Fentanyl, an opioid, was found to be responsible for the death of musician Prince in 2016 at age 57.
In its statement, Petty’s family added, “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. Many people who overdose begin with a legitimate injury or simply do not understand the potency and deadly nature of these medications.”
In addition to mixed drug toxicity that, along with Fentanyl, included Oxycodone, Temazepam and Alprazolam, the coroner’s report also listed multisystem organ failure and resuscitated cardiopulmonary arrest as causes of death.
“Breakdown” singer Petty died in October after reportedly being hospitalized Sunday night when he was found unconscious at his Malibu home. According to TMZ, the singer was taken to UCLA Santa Monica Hospital and placed on life support, which he was taken off of due to a lack of brain activity.
Longtime Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers manager Tony Dimitriades said at the time that Petty had died after suffering cardiac arrest.
“On behalf of the Tom Petty family, we are devastated to announce the untimely death of our father, husband, brother, leader and friend Tom Petty. He suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu in the early hours of this morning and was taken to UCLA Medical Center but could not be revived,” Dimitriades said in a statement. “He died peacefully at 8:40 p.m. PT surrounded by family, his bandmates and friends.”
Petty and the Heartbreakers had recently wrapped up a tour.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.