Co-founder of Tom Petty’s band Mudcrutch: Tom Leadon is dead

Tom Leadon, co-founder of Tom Petty’s original band Mudcrutch, has died at the age of 70. This was announced by his family on Monday (March 27) without providing any information about the cause of death.

“It is with great sadness but deep love and gratitude for his life that the family of Tom Leadon Nashville, Tennessee and Gainesville, Fla. announces that he passed away peacefully of natural causes on March 22, 2023,” the statement said. which his brother Mark Leadon posted on Facebook.

Mudcrutch bandmate Mike Campbell was one of the first to respond to the news. He called Leadon his “guitar soul brother” and recalled how they would spend countless hours “playing acoustic guitars” and “teaching each other things.” Campbell: “A kinder soul never walked the earth. I will always miss his spirit and generosity. Sleep peacefully my old friend.”

Tom Leadon had many (guitar) talents

In the late 1960s, Leadon (guitar, backing vocals) formed the band Mudcrutch with his neighbor Tom Petty (bass) from Gainesville, Florida. Randall Marsh on drums and Mike Campbell on guitar joined later.

Leadon left Mudcrutch in 1972 and moved to Los Angeles to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Bernie, who was a founding member of the Eagles and with whom he had played in a band when they were young. He then formed the group Silver (known from the hit “Wham Bam”). He was also successful as a bass player in Linda Ronstadt’s band and as a solo musician. He later became a guitar teacher.

2007’s Tom Petty-led Mudcrutch reunion featured Leadon, as did Campbell and Marsh. Benmont Tench, who played the keyboards from 1973 to 1975, completed the line-up. new. The band released a self-titled album in 2008 and followed up with Mudcrutch 2 in 2016. The musicians also toured several times until Tom Petty’s death in 2017.

In recent years, Tom Leadon has worked on the documentary History of the Eagles and has spoken about his experiences with the band in interviews.

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