I was 18 when Damn the Torpedoes came out and it changed my life; my band at the time covered probably half the songs on that record. At a time when mainstream rock was flaccid and/or overly slick, Petty played music that had a punk energy but also fit more comfortably within the mainstream. He provided a blueprint for where rock could go in the 80s while being both commercially successful and artistically interesting, and then he followed that blueprint to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At a time when rock music really took a hard turn toward the $h!tter, Petty continued to make solid, smart, exhilarating music. He was 66 years old.

I read that he's apparently the 5th most played artist on the radio - still. That's a surprising nugget, but mostly because he kind of blends into the background. I didn't realize how much of his work I know and like until I started thinking about it yesterday. He produced a lot of good music.

Yeah, this. I pulled up the greatest hits on Amazon last night. I know the words to practically the entire playlist.
Quite an artist.

Also, he made great videos.

After the early 1980's the rock music was garbage the rest of the decade.He was one of the very few exceptions.

Don't Come Around Here No More was fantastic. I think Last Dance had Kim Basinger in it. That doesn't suck.

"I won't back down" also