A park in Gainesville, Florida has been renamed after rocker Tom Petty.
The former NortheastPark, now Tom Petty Park was visited by hundreds of fans to celebrate his birthday on October 20.
Petty's family was also in attendance. His younger brother, Bruce Petty told Gainsville Sun that they grew up in the park. Their family lived close to the park and it was a 'second home' to the rock icon.
“My brother and I grew up in this park. We played as kids. My cousin reminded me the other day of my remark that it was a sanctuary, and it really was,” Bruce Petty said. “It was a place for us to escape and be kids and have fun. The fact that we are doing this today and the part that we played in it makes it so much more special.”
Petty's daughter, Adria Petty said, "Gainesville is an extraordinary place and if you listen to my dad’s music here, it has a different meaning. The idea of the air smelling good and the trees are green — there is nothing like this park to really illustrate that. 'Gainesville' has been blasting in my head since I landed ... It’s a very important town to Florida. Florida is a really beautiful and complex state and (Gainesville) fosters a lot of intelligence and compassion and incredible manners and incredible decency.”
Petty died of cardiac arrest on October 2, 2017.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Gainesville
