UPDATE 9:20 pm: Manager Tony Dimitriades has announced that Tom Petty died tonight. The LA Times reports: “On behalf of the Tom Petty family,” said Tony Dimitriades, longtime manager of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, “we are devastated to announce the untimely death of of our father, husband, brother, leader and friend Tom Petty. He suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu in the early hours of this morning and was taken to UCLA Medical Center but could not be revived. He died peacefully at 8:40 p.m. PT surrounded by family, his bandmates and friends.”

UPDATE 2:30 pm: TMZ has updated their report with the following: "1:35 PM PT — Sources tell us at 10:30 Monday morning a chaplain was called to Tom's hospital room. We're told the family has a do not resuscitate order on Tom. The singer is not expected to live throughout the day, but he's still clinging to life. A report that the LAPD confirmed the singer's death is inaccurate — the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. handled the emergency." Also, LAPD has provided a statement saying they were cited erroneously. Our apologies for the report being premature, and although most other outlets had also wrongly pronounced his death, this is an unfortunate mistake. It is especially unfair for those closest to him, who, during this difficult time, have had to deal with incorrect reports of his death. Sadly, it does sound like Petty may be in his final hours.

TMZ reported today that Tom Petty was found unconscious last night in full cardiac arrest. He was brought to the hospital at UCLA Santa Monica and was put on life support. However, TMZ also posted the following update: “We're told after Petty got to the hospital he had no brain activity and a decision was made to pull life support.” The LAPD has confirmed Petty's death to CBS [UPDATE 2:30 pm: This confirmation is erroneous; see above].

This is terrible news on top of a day that’s already had its share of terrible news. Tom Petty—may he rest in peace, power, and everything other good thing he deserved—was one of the best American songwriters of the rock ’n’ roll era, and his death at age 66 is a total shock. Petty and his longtime backing band the Heartbreakers just concluded their 40th anniversary tour with a run of shows at the Hollywood Bowl last week.

Tom Petty was born in Florida, and moved to LA in the mid-‘70s. The music he made with the Heartbreakers, and on his solo albums, married together fine American musical traditions, from the Southern rock of his home state to the chiming, Byrds-influenced folk rock of his adopted city. Along the way, Petty worked with Bob Dylan, members of the Beatles, Johnny Cash, Del Shannon, Roy Orbison, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, and too many other musical legends to mention. Tom Petty was the equal of them all.

He will be dearly missed.

Here are some things we’ve written about Tom Petty in the past:

• Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll's Fine: The Enduring Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (Music Feature, August 6, 2014)

• All You Can Carry: Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker's Complete Studio Albums Volume 2 (1994-2014) Box Set (Album Review, December 30, 2016)

• Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at the Moda Center, Tues Aug 12 (Live Review, August 14, 2014)

• With a Title Like Petty: The Biography, You Know It's Going to Be Generic (Book Review, January 20, 2016)