Tom Petty’s Family Send Cease-And-Desist Letter To Trump For Song Use

The family of the late Tom Petty has issued a cease-and-desist letter to the Trump campaign for its use of “I Won’t Back Down” at the president’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Saturday.

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“Trump was in no way authorized to use this song to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind,” the letters states. “Both the late Tom Petty and his family firmly stand against racism and discrimination of any kind. Tom Petty would never want a song of his used for a campaign of hate. He liked to bring people together.”

“I Won’t Back Down” was originally released in April 1989 as a lead single for Petty’s first solo album, Full Moon Fever.

“Tom wrote this song for the underdog, for the common man and for EVERYONE,” the letter continues. “We want to make it clear that we believe everyone is free to vote as they like, think as they like, but the Petty family doesn’t stand for this. We believe in America and we believe in democracy. But Donald Trump is not representing the noble ideals of either. We would hate for fans that are marginalized by this administration to think we were complicit in this usage. Concurrently, we have issued an official cease and desist notice to the Trump campaign.”

The letter is signed “Adria, Annakim, Dana and Jane Petty.”

[Via]