Heartbreakers drummer Steve Ferrone said he and guitarist Mike Campbell have discussed the possibility of performing again without late leader Tom Petty.
The frontman’s death in 2017 brought an end to the band’s career. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Ferrone said Petty should never have undertaken their final tour.
“He was taking OxyContin so he could get through the shows,” he explained. “He’d sort of time it so that it would kick in once he got up there. I’d say, ‘How are you doing? You ready for the show?’ He’d say, ‘Just get me up there and I’ll be okay.’ We’d get up there and it would do what it was supposed to do. It would kill the pain and he’d be able to perform. But once we’d done the done the bulk of the show and we’d come off and have something to drink backstage while everybody was going crazy, sometimes he’d be able to walk up there on his own. Other times he’d say, ‘I need you again.’ He’d put his arm around me and we’d hit those stairs together.”
Read More: Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers Have Discussed Reunion Possibility
