American rock legend Tom Petty is on life support following a massive heart attack, aged 66.
For several hours earlier today, music lovers believed Tom Petty was dead.
Courtney Love, Talib Kweli, Kid Rock, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Stanley, Sheryl Crowe and Lin-Manuel Miranda were among scores of fans posting remembrances on Twitter, where Petty was the top worldwide trending topic.
A memorial was scheduled for hisstar on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Tom Petty on stage on September 17. Photo/AP
But the 66-year-old entertainer is still alive, and news outlets that announced his death later retracted their stories. The Walk of Fame tribute was cancelled.
The confusion started with CBS News and the Los Angeles Police Department. CBS published Petty's obituary after tweeting that the LAPD had confirmed his death. The trade paper Variety followed, citing an unnamed source confirming the rocker's death.
Then the LAPD issued a statement saying it has no information on Petty's condition and that "initial information was inadvertently provided to some media sources."
"We apologize for any inconvenience in this reporting," the department said.
CBS and Variety amended their stories. CBS News also released a statement maintaining that it "reported information obtained officially from the LAPD about Tom Petty."
Tom Petty was one of the biggest inspirations for me as a musician. This one will hurt for a long time. Truly one of the sweetest people on earth. Rest In Peace brother.
