1. Dana and Tom met when they were still married to other people. Before he wed Dana York in 2001, Tom Petty was married to his childhood sweetheart, Jane Benyo for more than 20 years. The iconic rocker first met Dana at one of his concerts in 1991, but it wasn’t until five years later that they reconnected. In 1996, struggles with drug abuse led to the end of Tom and Jane’s marriage, and Dana’s divorce from her first husband was finalized. Tom and Dana finally got together romantically, and then married in an intimate Las Vegas ceremony on June 3, 2001. While Tom had two daughters with Jane, he never had children with Dana, although he did inherit a stepson when they got married.
2. Tom credited Dana with saving him from a drug addiction. When Tom and Dana first got together, he wasn’t initially open with her about his issues with cocaine and heroin. He wasn’t able to hide it for long, though, but since Dana’s own father had dealt with drug addiction, she made a point to stand by her man’s side. She stayed with him as he went through the incredibly difficult detox process, and helped him repair his relationship with his daughters.
3. She had a job she was passionate about before dedicating her life to Tom. Dana was born in Flint, Michigan and had a job as the principal of University High School in Ferndale, Michigan. However, after getting together with Tom, she spent her time with him and his band on the road and helped with managing their schedule.
4. Dana was with Tom when he went into cardiac arrest. Tom stopped breathing at his Malibu home on Oct. 1, and Dana was the one who called 911. She attempted to give her husband CPR with help from the operator, and eventually started to feel he was breathing louder and more steadily. Unfortunately, Tom was past the point of full revival, and had to be put on life support once he arrived at the hospital. He died hours later.
5. Tom & Dana had a second wedding 2 and a half weeks after their first. Although Tom and Dana officially tied the knot on June 3, 2001, they had a much larger ceremony June 21 of that year. Tom admitted that the Vegas wedding was meant to “get the legal stuff out of the way,” while the subsequent reception at their home in Malibu was much larger. It was officiated by Little Richard.
HollywoodLifers, leave your thoughts for Dana and the rest of Tom’s family in the comments section below.
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