Mudcrutch co-founder Tom Leadon dies, aged 70

Tom Leadon, a co-founding member of Tom Petty’s first band Mudcrutch, has died.

His death was announced by his brother, Mark, in a social media post. “It is with great sadness, but profound love and gratitude for his life, that the family of Tom Leadon Nashville, Tennessee, and Gainesville, Florida, announce his passing on March 22, 2023,” it read. “[He died] peacefully of natural causes.”

Leadon, 70, was most famed for his work with rock icon Petty, whom he met in Gainsville, Florida when they were both in high school. It was around 1970 that the two formed their first band, The Epics, with Leadon on lead guitar and Petty on bass.

From there the band evolved into Mudcrutch. Randall Marsh was recruited as the drummer and Mike Campbell also joined as a lead guitarist. The latter would join Petty for his later projects, as a member of The Heartbreakers.

In a tribute post to Leadon, Campbell described the “generosity” of his former bandmate. “Tom Leadon was my deepest guitar soul brother, we spent countless hours playing acoustic guitars and teaching each other things,” he said.

“A kinder soul never walked the earth. I will always miss his spirit and generosity. Sleep peacefully, my old friend.”

Later in the ‘70s Leadon also acted as a temporary bassist for Linda Ronstadt’s band. Additionally, in 1976 he joined country-rock band Silver and was part of the line-up when the band released their most famous track, ‘Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang’.

In 2007 Leadon rejoined his former bandmates for a Mudcrutch reunion. The reformed line-up embarked on new projects on and off for a decade, playing several live performances until Petty’s death.

Bandmate Petty died in 2017 after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was aged 66.

Following the news of his passing, musicians from around the world have taken to social media to pay tribute to the rock legend. These include tributes from Sir Brian May, Travis Barker, Courtney Love and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith.

Shortly before his death Petty had concluded a 40th-anniversary tour with his band The Heartbreakers. The extensive tour ended with a final performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, roughly a month before his passing.

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