They used to call them the “Golden Oldies.” You know what we’re talking about: “Poison Ivy,” “Only You,” “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and “Earth Angel.” The soundtrack of “Where were you in ‘62?”
There was something quaint about grandpas with their old school, baby blue three-piece suits and ruffled tux shirts still shuffling their feet and snapping their fingers to “American Graffiti” hits. But a seismic shift is in the air and it’s all about aging with musicians trying to keep the beat around in their 60s, 70s and even 80s.
Now it’s our guys. Tom Petty, Prince, Michael Jackson, David Bowie. And many are dying due to crippling pain and months on the road—not the nonstop partying as in years past.
A year ago this month, iconic Malibu rocker Petty allegedly went to R&R heaven after an accidental overdose with a cocktail of pain killers including Xanax, oxycodone and fentanyl, said to be many times stronger than morphine.
In the midst of a high octane, physically punishing rehearsal, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer slipped and shattered his hip. In excruciating pain, he decided he would not let his fans or the band down for his grueling 40th anniversary tour with The Heartbreakers. If you have ever seen the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Prince or Led Zeppelin perform, you know. Jumping on and off four-foot tall amps, doing back flips, sliding across the stage, doing the splits and doing everything from jumping jacks to headstands night after night must take a toll.
In this case it did. From the Malibu home Petty shared with his wife Dana, he was rushed to a local hospital where he died of cardiac arrest. Dana told the Los Angeles Times if her husband had a hip replacement instead of going on a long and grueling 40th anniversary tour, “he’d still be with us.” We know it’s only rock and roll and we like it, just remember the performance part of this gig has a shelf life. Petty may be gone but his music lives on with a special edition boxed set of his “hidden treasures” dropping this week.