Shortly after Tom Petty died on 2 October, Bruce Springsteen got the call about the death of his "long lost brother."
"I got the phone call and told the folks in my house," Bruce Springsteen told Rolling Stone for the magazine's cover tribute. "There were shrieks of horror. You couldn't quite believe it. We were from the same generation of rock and rollers. We started around the same time and had a lot of the same influences. And when I lived in California, I got to know him quite well. He was just a lovely guy who loved rock and roll and came up the hard way."
The two legends never collaborated, although they shared the stage at events like the 1979 No Nukes concert, a 1986 Bridge benefit show, and a 1990 show in L.A. when Springsteen and Bob Dylan joined Petty for an encore. And it makes sense, considering their music is cut from the same cloth. But the two had a deep mutual respect and friendship for each other. Springsteen even opened his Broadway run with a tribute to Petty.
And even though it's a loss that feels far too soon, Springsteen has a pretty positive way of thinking about it.
"It's sad that he's gone," Springsteen told Rolling Stone, "but it was nice to be alive in his lifetime. Good songs stay written. Good records stay made. They are always filled with the promise and hope and life essence of their creator. Tom made a lot of great music—enough to carry people forward."
Time to go put on some "I Won't Back Down."
