PETTY: 'BLAIR SAVED THE HEARTBREAKERS'

Last updated: Sunday, July 9, 2006

PETTY: 'BLAIR SAVED THE HEARTBREAKERS'

TOM PETTY credits bass player RON BLAIR for keeping his band THE HEARTBREAKERS together after the heroin overdose death of bandmate HOWIE EPSTEIN in 2003.

The FREE FALLIN' hitmaker was on the verge of disbanding The Heartbreakers after the tragedy - because he never thought he'd recover from Epstein's death.

But former bass player RON BLAIR, whose departure from The Heartbreakers led to Petty hiring Epstein, has helped bring the family vibe back to the band.

Petty explains, "I think when Ron Blair returned, it really bonded us back together in a weird way. If he hadn't been there, I am sure it would have been the end of the whole thing when Howie died.

"Had we looked into putting a new person in the Heartbreakers, I would have just walked away. It wouldn't have been a band to me. I think we all knew that this is the end of it."

| Sunday, July 9, 2006

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