Recently, one of the world’s most talented people passed away, his name was Tom Petty. Throughout my whole life, I have listened to every song of his from “Don’t Do Me Like That” to “Free Fallin,” his music to me was not only music, but a way of understanding life in the moment.

In 1976, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers became a band, starting their first hit “American Girl,” which I would later find out to be my first and favorite song I had ever heard by them at the age of seven. From that moment of time and then on, I never would have thought I would still be listening to them on endless repeat without hesitation.

When I first heard of his tragic death, I was in English and I remember someone yelling my name in sadness for me, as soon as I heard the news I began to cry. The death of anyone is always sad, even though it took me a couple of days to recover from my loss, I still cherish what his music has done for my life.

Probably my best moment with his music was when I saw him in concert, I’m just glad I got to see my idol before it was too late. Tom Petty was considered a legend in the music business and a master at poetry, hopefully now he’s mastering on “Learning to Fly.”