Stevie Nicks Breaks Her Silence On Tom Petty’s Death, Says He Would Want Her Tour To Go On

Stevie Nicks is speaking out on the death of Tom Petty exactly one month after her longtime friend passed away after suffering cardiac arrest at his Malibu home. Nicks, who has kept her privacy in the month since Petty’s death, told Australia’s WA Today that she is doing exactly what Tom would have wanted her to do by continuing on with her solo tour dates in Australia.

Stevie Nicks told the Aussie news site that she would normally be grieving out of the public eye or spending time with Petty’s family, but that Tom “would want” her to forge on with her tour commitment.

“I am going to be going over the loss of Tom while I am on this tour,” Nicks said.

“Since he just died and I am actually here in my time when, under normal circumstances, I would be with his family and going through my grief. But I am here in the arms of Australia and if I was going to be anywhere I want to be here.”

Stevie admitted that it will be difficult to perform songs such as “Edge of Seventeen,” which was heavily influenced by the Heartbreakers frontman. Stevie even said the hit song originally had a verse with a reference to Tom Petty in it, but she took the lyric out. While she changed the song 35 years ago, Stevie Nicks revealed that Tom would never want her to change any part of her show.

“It’s going to be an interesting thing to perform ‘Edge of Seventeen’ and all the other songs Tom was part of but he would not want me to change my show one little bit because of him,” Stevie said.

“He would say ‘Do your show exactly as you did it 55 times in the United States, rock yourself into the stars.'”

Stevie Nicks has been closing her current tour with the song “Edge of Seventeen.”

Stevie Nicks had a 40-year friendship with Tom Petty and they collaborated on several songs in the early 1980s, including the Hard Promises ballad “Insider” and Stevie’s Bella Donna hit, “Stop Dragging’ My Heart Around.” Stevie Nicks was so close with Tom Petty that she entertained the idea of being the first female Heartbreaker. The longtime friends performed together for the last time earlier this year during Petty’s 40th anniversary tour with the Heartbreakers.

Stevie Nicks’ bond with Tom Petty will be apparent during her shows, and she is using his sudden death at age 66 as a reminder that there are no guarantees in life. Nicks plans to continue to hit the road as long as she can. Stevie Nicks will turn 70-years-old in May and has no plans to retire.

“[With] what has happened to me with Tom, you can’t take anything for granted,” Stevie said. “If you have music to play that you love, why not?”

Stevie Nicks kicked off her Australian tour at the Perth Arena, marking the first time she has taken the stage since Tom Petty’s death on Oct. 2. According to SBS, the Perth audience became silent when Stevie sang, “‘Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” her famous duet she recorded with Petty in 1981.

“I didn’t know how I would do this tonight,” Stevie Nicks reportedly told the crowd.

You can see Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty performing together below.

[Featured Image by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Images]