Taylor Swift Says Tom Petty Motivated Her To Play The Guitar

Taylor Swift has joined the string of acts paying tribute to the late, great Tom Petty and his lengthy career in a new statement via Rolling Stone, which was published on Wednesday (October 4).

In her statement, the pop titan explained that the rock legend's lyrics and songwriting craft had a major influence on her artistry. "To me, Tom Petty represented a kind of songwriting I idolized: complex simplicity," she said to Rolling Stone. 

"It said so much in the lyrics, the concepts, the stories, the message, the nuances ... but always brought you back to a hook that got stuck in everyone’s head," she continued. "He motivated thousands of guitarists to learn to play just because they wanted to be able to play 'Free Fallin.'' Count me as one of them."

Petty's impact on Swift can be heard as far back as 2009 when she covered and recorded "American Girl" during her "Fearless Tour." Take a listen to the cover below!

Petty's family confirmed his death late Monday night after conflicting reports were published. "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," his manager Tony Dimitriades said in a statement. "He died peacefully at 8:40 PM PST surrounded by family, his bandmates, and friends." He was 66.

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