Dana York: Tom Petty’s Wife ‘Saved’ Him From Drug Addiction, Helped Him Rebuild Relationships With His Kids

Dana York is reportedly by Tom Petty’s side after he was taken off life support, but the rocker’s longtime wife is credited with saving his life more than two decades ago as he was spiraling into a dangerous addiction.

Petty reportedly went into cardiac arrest late on Sunday at his home in Malibu. He was rushed to a hospital, but his condition then worsened, and by Monday night he was taken off life support. There were differing reports late on Monday, with some claiming that he had passed away and other reports saying that he was still clinging to life. A report from TMZ claimed that Petty had no brain activity and was not expected to survive through the day.

As the music world mourns the expected passing of Tom Petty, there is also new attention on his longtime wife and the role she played in getting his life back on track. As The Sun noted, Tom met Dana York in 1991, when she attended his concert in Texas, though the two did not get involved romantically until five years later, when Dana’s previous marriage had ended.

The two quickly fell in love, the Daily Mail noted.

“Tom and Dana both felt as though they had known each other their entire lives and were fast falling in love,” the report noted.

But Petty’s heroin addiction cast a shadow on the relationship. As the Daily Mail noted, Petty tried to hide the addiction from Dana, but soon gave in and admitted he needed help. York’s father had also struggled with addiction, and she knew the support and dedication needed to overcome it.

Because we know you won't back down, @tompetty. You and your family are in our thoughts right now. pic.twitter.com/ab7BDHAwbq

— Rock Hall (@rockhall) October 2, 2017

As The Sun report noted, Tom Petty would credit his wife with saving his life by helping him overcome his drug addiction and rebuild the broken relationships with his children. Dana helped Tom get into therapy and stood by his side as he got clean, The Sun noted.

Dana York again tried to save Tom Petty’s life after he went into cardiac arrest on Sunday. As Hollywood Life noted, York made a frantic call to 911 saying that Tom had stopped breathing and begging for help. The dispatcher helped her to perform CPR, and afterward York reported that she could hear faint breathing.

[Featured Image by Angela Weiss/Getty Images]