Petty: 'My Wife Saved Me From Depression'

25 July 2006
Tom Petty

Picture: Tom Petty 'Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers: Running Down a Dream' book party New York City, USA - 14.11.07

Petty: 'My Wife Saved Me From Depression'

Rocker Tom Petty credits his wife DANA YORK for pulling him out of a terrible depression and saving his career.
The FREE FALLIN' hitmaker struggled to come to terms with the deaths of pal George Harrison and bandmate HOWIE EPSTEIN - in 2001 and 2003 respectively - and spiralled into an all-time low.
Looking back, Petty fears he wouldn't be around today if it wasn't for the love, patience and understanding of his wife of five years.
The rocker tells newspaper USA Today, "She saved me from going down the tubes. She got me to a good place where I did want to rejoin society and keep going.
"I've got a great girl, and she's strong. It took a strong person to deal with me at that point. I got pretty dire. I had a lot of repair work to do with my family and children.
"I had to grow up in a lot of ways. If you do this all your life, you don't have a normal experience. The rock 'n' roll lifestyle does not encourage you to be responsible."
Petty reveals at his lowest point he was living like a hermit in a rundown chicken shack in woods near Pacific Palisades, California.
He adds, "I didn't see a lot of people. I wasn't happy... Even when I was in public, I didn't want to be there, and that's a terrible feeling."

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Comments View All Comments (2)

25th June 2010 03:00

Kaitlyn_Badge     (1)

Check it out, Rod Stewart plays soccer around Pacific Palisades. I used to photograph Rod Stewart playing soccer all over L.A. County and he liked the photos. But if Tom Petty was living in a chicken shack by Pacific Palisades, that is just ironic. I want to go down there to take more photos of Rod again playing soccer while waiting to go to Tom Petty's MOJO concert in October at the Hollywood Bowl, you know, have something to do while I have to wait for three months. Trippy eh?What a trip. Kaitlyn Badge

13th October 2007 06:00

Kelly McSkimming     (1)

I wish i would have known where Tom was in his bad days.... i coulda helped.... i knew him at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif and we were pretty close... we lost touch because of a terrible tradgedy that happened to me and i lost his phone number in the shuffle. i have been trying to see him ever since... pretty hard when you miss a friend who's so famous................... :(

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