In a new unauthorized biography about the Heartbreaker's frontman, Tom Petty revealed he was addicted to heroin in the '90s when the rocker hit a sort of mid-life crisis that spiraled out of control.
Warren Zanes wrote Petty: The Biography with the blessing of Petty, but technically the book remains unauthorized as Petty wanted to give Zanes full editorial control. The two rekindled a friendship that started in 1987 when Zanes was opening for his hero with his band Del Fuegos. It provided a level of trust where Petty had no say over what made it into the book and what was left out.
At first Petty was reticent to talk about his addiction because he feared it would glorify his actions and coax fans to follow his actions. Zanes was able to convince him his story could serve as a cautionary tale, and from there the "Free Fallin'" artist opened up.
"How does a 50-year-old become a junky?" The Washington Post asks. Zanes said it was a combination of things: living his life in the album cycle, a divorce and a sense of failure.
"...When he left his marriage and moved into a house, by himself, things slowed just long enough that all of that past came right as he's coming into the pain of not being able to control the well-being of his kids and not being able to control a dialogue with his ex-wife," Zanes said in the phone interview with The Post. "The classic situation of midlife pinning a person down to the mat."
Petty: The Biography seems to be quite the tell all account of not only Petty but the other members of The Heartbreakers as well. Zanes talked with former Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch openly and honestly about his falling out with the band, and reveals intimate details about some of Petty's lesser known or loved recordings from the '90s.
Petty: The Biography is out Nov. 10, where you'll be able to read all new insights into the artist's life including his personal life, relationships with his bandmates and meeting the members of the Traveling Wilburys.
Listen to "Lonesome Sundown" off his 1999 album Echo.
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