Tom Petty honoured with posthumous Doctor of Music degree by University of Florida
The late Tom Petty has been posthumously honoured with a Doctor of Music by the University of Florida. After the university’s board of trustees decided to celebrate Petty with the degree, his younger brother, Bruce Petty, announced that he would accept the award on his behalf.
The legendary musician grew up in Gainsville, Florida, the same city where the university is located. The ceremony will take place today, May 4th. In a statement, Bruce shared, “I don’t think anyone in our family, including him, thought that he would be linked with the University of Florida this way.”
“It’s such a powerful thing, it was his life-long dream, and I know he would just be over-the-top, crazy happy about it,” he added.
Kevin Orr, the university’s School of Music director, stated that the establishment is “privileged to honor Tom Petty with an honorary doctorate degree in Music, celebrating not only his extraordinary achievements as an artist, but the ways in which his music has and continues to unite us as a community.”
Alongside the honorary degree, Petty’s estate has formed The Tom Petty Endowment for Guitars & Innovation for students of the Guitar and Music Business & Entrepreneurship program at the University of Florida. The estate donated $100,000 to the cause.
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