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Heartbreakers<\/a> guitarist Mike Campbell <\/a>admitted he\u2019s still grieving for band leader Tom Petty<\/a>, seven years after his death.<\/p>\n Petty was 66 when he passed <\/a>on Oct. 2, 2017 after an accidental overdose. He\u2019d been suffering severe pain with a fractured hip, which he\u2019d put off dealing with in order to keep touring.<\/p>\n Campbell, who went on to join Fleetwood Mac<\/a> for a year in 2018, before focusing on his band the Dirty Knobs<\/a>, told the Sun<\/em><\/a> in a recent interview that he felt Petty was still with him.<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0<\/strong>Heartbreakers Reunite for First Time Since Tom Petty’s Death<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cTom was instantly unforgettable,\u201d he said. \u201cOf 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 \u2013 and he was smarter than anybody else in the room. The whole rock star thing came later.\u201d<\/p>\n Recalling how they started out together in Mudcrutch<\/a>, Campbell said Petty \u201clived at home\u201d and was \u201ca hippie dude like me,\u201d adding: \u201cWe immediately connected as musicians. We had a similar dream: not to be rock stars, just to be professional and successful.<\/p>\n \u201cThe strongest influence on both of us was the whole British Invasion \u2013 The Beatles<\/a>, the Stones<\/a>, The Kinks<\/a>, The Animals<\/a>. We would draw on them our whole lives.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued: \u201cTom 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\u2019t believe it\u2019s nine years. But as time goes on I\u2019ve dealt with the grief better.<\/p>\n \u201cI like to perform Heartbreakers songs to keep them alive \u2013 to remember and revisit my time with Tom. It is bittersweet, but there are moments when I feel his spirit. He\u2019s right behind me, saying, \u2018Go man, go!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n He reflected: \u201cYou 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\u2019s what grief is.\u201d<\/p>\n There’s a common thread running through Tom Petty’s catalog, and it’s the Heartbreakers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nMike Campbell on Learning to Cope with Grief<\/h3>\n
The Best Song From Every Tom Petty Album<\/h2>\n