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Tuesday 3 October 2017

Tom Petty: Not Dead. Reports Retracted. Statement here.

In what is reminiscent of the Jeff Goldblum death misreporting, singer Tom Petty has not, in fact, died.

In a report just in, this one, absolutely verified.

For the past few hours we have believed Tom Petty had died. But nope. Alive... not well, but definitely alive. 
Fellow musos Courtney Love, Kid Rock, Cyndi Lauper, and KISS's Paul Stanley were among scores of fans posting remembrances on Twitter, where Petty was the top worldwide trending topic. A memorial was even scheduled for his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
But the 66 year old entertainer is still alive, and news outlets that announced his death have now retracted their stories. The Walk of Fame tribute was cancelled. Oops!
So, how did the confusion start? With CBS News and the Los Angeles Police Department, where 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.
Here are some untimely tributes:
After the reports, 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 apologise for any inconvenience in this reporting,” the department said. CBS and Variety sites both amended their stories. CBS News also released a statement maintaining that it “reported information obtained officially from the LAPD about Tom Petty.” “The LAPD later said it was not in a position to confirm information about the singer,” the statement said.
The beacon of all breaking news, TMZ, said that emergency crews were unable to find a pulse after a 911 call by his wife from their Malibu home and he was showing no signs of brain activity upon arriving at UCLA Santa Monica Hospital. It claimed that his loved ones made the decision to switch off life support a short time later.
TMZ even published audio of the 911 call made by Petty’s wife after she discovered her husband wasn’t breathing. Dana York can be heard telling the dispatcher she needs help because he’s not responding, to which she’s told to kneel down on the ground and give him CPR.
Tom Petty’s daughter also just took to social media to say her father was still alive.
Both CBS and Variety now cite TMZ reporting that says Petty is “clinging to life” after suffering cardiac arrest.
An LAPD spokesman said in an interview that its spokespeople did not respond to any incident involving Tom Petty.
Petty’s manager did not respond to emails and phone calls seeking comment Monday.
We wish Tom a speedy recovery and hope that those obituaries honouring his wonderful life are not written after all.
Here are some of Tom's most renowned hits:


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