Tom Petty Is Still Right Behind Me, Says Mike Campbell

Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell admitted he’s still grieving for band leader Tom Petty, seven years after his death.

Petty was 66 when he passed on Oct. 2, 2017 after an accidental overdose. He’d been suffering severe pain with a fractured hip, which he’d put off dealing with in order to keep touring.

Campbell, who went on to join Fleetwood Mac for a year in 2018, before focusing on his band the Dirty Knobs, told the Sun in a recent interview that he felt Petty was still with him.

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“Tom was instantly unforgettable,” he said. “Of course, he had the long blond hair, but he also had a swagger. He had this vibe around him of knowing where he was going – and he was smarter than anybody else in the room. The whole rock star thing came later.”

Recalling how they started out together in Mudcrutch, Campbell said Petty “lived at home” and was “a hippie dude like me,” adding: “We immediately connected as musicians. We had a similar dream: not to be rock stars, just to be professional and successful.

“The strongest influence on both of us was the whole British Invasion – The Beatles, the Stones, The Kinks, The Animals. We would draw on them our whole lives.”

Mike Campbell on Learning to Cope with Grief

He continued: “Tom and I were close, not necessarily to hang out all the time, but our musical and spiritual connection was about as strong as anybody can have. I can’t believe it’s nine years. But as time goes on I’ve dealt with the grief better.

“I like to perform Heartbreakers songs to keep them alive – to remember and revisit my time with Tom. It is bittersweet, but there are moments when I feel his spirit. He’s right behind me, saying, ‘Go man, go!’”

He reflected: “You might never get over the loss of your brother or your father or your mother or your best friend, but you learn to cope. That’s what grief is.”