Tom Petty

"Friends" actor Matthew Perry's tragic death has highlighted the secretive and toxic relationship that has long existed between troubled celebrities and the doctors who service their addictions.

Perry, who had a long history of substance abuse, was found dead in the hot tub of his luxury Los Angeles home last year, with extremely high levels of ketamine in his system.

Tom Petty said it best in his beautiful song "Learning to Fly": "What goes up must come down." Pretty basic stuff, you might say. But it's not really, not when we're talking about politics and politicians in particular, who almost inevitably believe that once they are elected and climb up to a certain point on the ladder, they will be there for life.

American rocker Tom Petty died in October of an accidental drug overdose after taking a variety of medications for his ailments including a mix of opioid painkillers, his family and the Los Angeles county medical examiner said Jan. 19.

American rock legend Tom Petty died early this morning. He had a heart attack a few days before his birthday. On October 20, he would have been 67 years old.

The news was confirmed by his manager Tony Dimitriadis.

Tom Petty, the musical legend behind some of rock’s greatest hits, died Monday after going into cardiac arrest.

He was 66.

The “Free Fallin’” singer was taken to UCLA Medical Center early Monday morning but could not be revived, Tony Dimitriades, the band manager said in a statement.

He died at 11:30 p.m., surrounded by family, friends and his bandmates.