Tom Petty Had $100,000 Worth of His Guitars and Guns Stolen 2 Years After He Died
Tom Petty established himself as one of the most popular music-makers of his generation. He got fired from every regular job he had, but it all worked out as he became an accomplished songwriter and bandleader. Petty’s death in 2017 robbed the world of an beloved musician, but the respect for the deceased didn’t last long. Two years after Petty died, $100,000 worth of his stuff — including vintage guitars — got stolen.
Tom Petty played several brands of guitars during his career
Petty likely could have signed a contract with a guitar brand to play its axes exclusively once he became a bankable star, but he never did. The Florida native danced his fingers up and down the fretboards of several notable guitar brands.
Petty played Gibsons, Fenders, Epiphones, and Gretschs during his career. He famously dons a cherry-red Rickenbacker on the cover of “Damn the Torpedoes,” the breakout album for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
The guitarist once traded his prized possession for Elvis records, and it wasn’t a guitar. However, Petty’s guitar collection was a crown jewel for others because someone stole his guitars and $100,000 worth of other valuables two years after he died.
$100,000 worth of Tom Petty guitars, guns, and unheard music was stolen two years after he died
Petty and his bandmates had five guitars and other equipment stolen from them in 2012, the Mercury News once reported. That was a small crime compared to what happened at Petty’s San Fernando Valley storage unit in 2019.
A thief robbed the storage unit of Petty’s guitars, guns, and hard drives containing unreleased music two years after he died. The Daily Mail reported that the value of the stolen goods reached at least $100,000.
Police quickly apprehended the suspect and the guitars in the 2012 robbery. Law enforcement found the suspect, guns, and hard drives from the 2019 robbery, but not the guitars, per the Daily Mail.
Petty’s bandmates continue making music after they found success as a group
Petty’s career — both solo and with the Heartbreakers — was nothing but a success.
He placed 27 songs over three decades on the Billboard hot 100 chart. “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” Petty and the Heartbreakers’ collaboration with Stevie Nicks, reached No. 3. The full band saw “Don’t Do Me Like That” reach No. 10, and Petty sent his solo song “Free Fallin’” to No. 7. “American Girl” never charted in the hot 100, but it remains a classic nearly 50 years after its debut.
The musicians in the Heartbreakers continued after Petty died. Guitarist Mike Campbell made new music with the Dirty Knobs and joined Fleetwood Mac as a touring guitarist. Keyboard player Benmont Tench, bassist Ron Blair, and multi-instrumentalist Scott Thurston have recorded with various musicians. So too have former drummers Steve Ferrone and Stan Lynch.
After being part of his successful career, the surviving Heartbreakers presumably don’t need to steal any of Tom Petty’s guitars to make a quick buck.
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