Nine Years After Tom Petty’s Death, Mike Campbell Reveals Why He Still Feels His Late Bandmate Beside Him

Mike Campbell says performing Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers songs helps him remember his late bandmate and sometimes makes him feel Petty’s presence. The guitarist describes that feeling as bittersweet, but also encouraging, as he continues to cope with the loss.

Petty died aged 66 in 2017 from an accidental overdose, after suffering severe pain from a fractured hip during the band’s 40th anniversary tour. Campbell recalled that they connected through music and shared an early ambition to become successful working musicians, drawing lasting influence from the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks and the Animals. Since Petty’s death, Campbell has performed with Fleetwood Mac and his own band, the Dirty Knobs.