Tom Petty dies after being hospitalized for cardiac arrest

UPDATED Oct. 2, 2017 at 10 p.m. PT with information about Tom Petty's death provided in an official statement.

Tom Petty, one of the bestselling music artists of the modern age whose recent tour just wrapped up last week in Los Angeles, died Monday night after being hospitalized for cardiac arrest. He was 66.

Petty was transported to UCLA Medical Center from his home in Malibu in the early hours Monday after suffering cardiac arrest, according to a statement on his Twitter account. He died Monday evening surrounded by family and friends. The formal announcement comes after false reports of his death earlier in the day.

Tom Petty's career began proper in the 1970s with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, whose early hits included "Listen to Her Heart" and "Here Comes My Girl." In the '80s he played with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lyne in the Traveling Wilburys but maintained his successful solo career, released the ubiquitous "Free Fallin'" in 1989.

He continued releasing music, touring and picking up awards and was due to play several shows in New York in November.

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Earlier updates:

UPDATE: Oct. 2, 2017, 1:11 p.m. PDT According to CBS News, the Los Angeles Police Department had confirmed Petty's death. Mashable contacted the LAPD for a statement.

UPDATE: Oct. 2, 2017, 2:12 p.m. PDT However, according to TMZ, Petty was "still clinging to life" and the LAPD tweeted that information had been "inadvertently released" to the media.

UPDATE: Oct. 2, 2017, 9:26 PM p.m. PDT Tom Petty's manager has confirmed that the singer has died.