Tom Petty Died...

... last night at 8:40pm PST. I didn't expect it to, but it hit me as hard as Robin Williams' death. Tom was as big a part of who I am as Robin was. His death affected me for a different reason... my favorite uncle, Norbert "Michael" Osborn also died before the age of 70 from cardiac arrest. Like with Robin, I find myself reliving the ways he affected by life through his music, the music that brought me joy and the music that got me though difficult patches... most specifically his "Wildflowers" album. "You belong among the wildflowers/You belong somewhere bright and new" let me know that no matter what dark place I was in at that moment, I deserved something beautiful. I Won't Back Down. Don't Fade On Me. All The Wrong Places. The Waiting. His part in The Traveling Wilburys. His tribute to George with Jeff Lynne, Dhani, and Prince with While My Guitar Gently Weeps. He is an integral part of my life when I was forming who I am, more than the other Wilburys.

Again, I find myself at a loss for words and adrift on a sea of emotion. I'm sure he was aware of the impact he had on lives in that humble sort of way. I just wish I could have seen him live so I could share that emotion with him with the other lives he touched.

Rest in peace, you Refuge Soul.