Dana York: Facts About Tom Petty’s Wife

Dana York was the wife of American musician Thomas Earl Petty (Tom Petty). Dana’s late husband Tom Petty made his mark in the music industry. He was an icon in the industry before his death. He sold over 80 million records worldwide throughout his career, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He was known for hit songs like “I Won’t Back Down,” “Free Fallin’” and “You Don’t Know How It Feels”.

Dana York: Bio Summary

How Old Is Dana York?

Dana York was born in 1964, in Flint, Michigan. She will be celebrating her 59th birthday in 2023. Details of her parents and family aren’t available. She reportedly attended Freeman Elementary School in Flint, MI, and graduated in 1982 from Flushing Senior High School in Flushing, Michigan. She is said to have worked as a principal at University High School.

How Did Dana York And Tom Petty Meet?

Dana York and Tom Petty met at a concert in Texas in the early 90s, per Daily Mail. They did not get together as soon as they met. They were both married to different spouses when they first met. Tom was married to Jane Benyo, the mother of his two daughters: Adria Petty, a director, editor, art director, and artist, and Kimberly Violette Petty aka Annakim, an artist.

Dana York was also a married woman. They were able to get together after they had divorced their spouses. They date for a while before getting married on June 3, 2001. They had two wedding ceremonies, one in Las Vegas and another at their Malibu home, per PEOPLE. Ordained minister Little Richard officiated the second wedding, which included about 40 guests.

ALSO READ: Kimberly Violette Petty: Who Is Tom Petty’s Daughter?

Dana York had a son, Dylan, from her earlier marriage. She and Tom never had any children of their own. She had helped her husband stay away from drugs. Dana’s father also struggled with addiction in his life. The experience she had with her father made her understand the complications that come with drug addiction and was willing to stand by her husband Tom Petty.

Tom Petty was addicted to drugs and struggled with heroin addiction. He said that “using heroin went against my grain. I didn’t want to be enslaved to anything.” He later went to a treatment center and was able to successfully treat his addiction. Tom has given Dana credit for saving his life. Even when he was hospitalized after admitting to a therapist that he was a drug addict, Dana waited for him as he got through his addiction. They were married until Tom passed away.

What Happened To Dana York’s Husband?

Dana York’s husband Tom Petty was found unconscious at his home, not breathing and in cardiac arrest, in the early morning hours of October 2, 2017. He was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, California, where he died. He died on October 2, 2017, of an accidental drug overdose, 18 days before his 67th birthday. His longtime manager, Tony Dimitriades, released a statement that said:

“On behalf of the Tom Petty family, we are devastated to announce the untimely death of our father, husband, brother, leader, and friend Tom Petty. He suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu in the early hours of this morning and was taken to UCLA Medical Center but could not be revived. He died peacefully at 8:40 p.m. PST surrounded by his family, bandmates, and friends.”

Full statement: pic.twitter.com/FGCVI5yIaa

— Tom Petty (@tompetty) October 3, 2017

Dana York said Tom Petty had some medical problems, including emphysema, knee difficulties “and most significantly a fractured hip”. In a statement on Tom’s official website, Dana and Adria wrote:

ALSO READ: Dylan Petty: Everything About Tom Petty’s Son

‘Our family sat together this morning with the medical examiner – coroner’s office and we were informed of their final analysis that Tom Petty passed away due to an accidental drug overdose as a result of taking a variety of medications. Unfortunately Tom’s body suffered from many serious ailments including emphysema, knee problems and most significantly a fractured hip.’

‘Despite this painful injury he insisted on keeping his commitment to his fans and he toured for 53 dates with a fractured hip and, as he did, it worsened to a more serious injury. On the day he died he was informed his hip had graduated to a full on break and it is our feeling that the pain was simply unbearable and was the cause for his overuse of medication.’

‘We knew before the report was shared with us that he was prescribed various pain medications for a multitude of issues including fentanyl patches and we feel confident that this was, as the coroner found, an unfortunate accident.’ Part of the statement also said:

‘On a positive note, we now know for certain he went painlessly and beautifully exhausted after doing what he loved the most, for one last time, performing live with his unmatchable rock band for his loyal fans on the biggest tour of his 40 plus year career. He was extremely proud of that achievement in the days before he passed.’

On September 28, 2018, Dana York told Billboard that her late husband put off hip surgery his doctors had recommended for some time. “He’d had it in mind it was his last tour and he owed it to his long-time crew, from decades some of them, and his fans.” Dana said that Tom Petty was in a good mood the day before his death: “He had those three shows in L.A. Never had he been so proud of himself, so happy, so looking forward to the future—and then he’s gone.”

Dana York And Stepdaughters’ Legal Battle

Dana York and her two stepdaughters Adria Petty and Kimberly Violette Petty were involved in a legal battle. Dana claimed her stepdaughters, ‘are attempting to thwart her role as trustee by making it nearly impossible to manage’ her late husband Tom Petty’s estate, according to Billboard. She alleged that Adria in particular of abusive behavior towards her and Tom Petty’s managers, record labels, and former bandmates.

ALSO READ: Jane Benyo: Truth About Tom Petty’s Ex-wife

Dana York said that Adria Petty and her sister Kimberly Violette Petty’s actions were delaying the release of Tom Petty’s posthumous album ‘Greatest Hits’ and a 25th-anniversary reissue of Petty’s 1994 solo LP ‘Wildflowers’. Adria also filed a lawsuit against Dana, claiming that Dana is trying to leave her and her sister Kimberly out of the trust’s decision-“marketing, promotional, and artistic considerations”.