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Almost two decades after his place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and more than four years after his death, rock icon Tom Petty received an honorary doctorate. from the University of Florida.
The school’s board of trustees unanimously voted to award Thomas Earl Petty a posthumous PhD in music during a session Friday. Born and raised in Gainesville, Petty once worked as a groundskeeper for UF while trying to break into the music industry, but he was never enrolled.
Petty died of an accidental drug overdose in October 2017. Days later, during a UF home soccer game, the song “I Won’t Back Down” was played in the stadium as a memorial to Petty. The song has since become a staple in Gators games.
Usually supported by the Heartbreakers, Petty had a breakthrough in the 1970s, selling more than 80 million records with hits like “Free Fallin”, “Refugee” and “American Girl”. Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
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