ABC/Randy HolmesAs the tributes pour in honoring late rocker Tom Petty, John Mayer has posted a heartfelt one of his own.
He begins his lengthy Instagram post by calling Petty “one of the high priests of the Sonic Church of California.”
He continues, “Petty was a major architect of the spirit that makes musicians want to flock to California and write their songs and live the life that both authors them and is authored by them.”
John then goes on to reminisce about how Petty’s music influenced his childhood.
“Growing up a kid in suburban Connecticut in the late ‘80s, Tom Petty’s music was the only thing like it, both on the radio and on MTV,” he writes. “He made me believe in two things: that songwriting was everything, and that California must have felt like his music sounded. It did. And it always will.”
“Musicians leave behind much more than records,” he adds. “They leave with us a shared dream space. A place we can continue to visit, even if after its creator is gone.”
Prior to his Instagram tribute, John posted to Twitter about Petty’s death, writing, “I loved Tom Petty and I covered his songs because I wanted know what it felt like to fly.”
Tom Petty passed away Monday night at age 66.
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