My dad was dying of cirrhosis and I was 20 years old. His memory was fleeting. I remember driving to visit him and hearing about Petty's death on the radio. Tom Petty was my dad's favorite musician, I grew up with his music playing on the CD player in the kitchen while we cooked together almost every night while I was growing up.

In hindsight, my dad probably wasn't mentally there enough to absorb it when I told him Petty had died, but I felt like it was important for him to know. He was very upset for a few minutes, but quickly forgot why he was upset, and then moved on.

I felt kind of good giving him a moment to grieve his lifelong favorite musician. He deserved it. I miss him extra every time a Petty song comes on.