The estate of Tom Petty issued a statement expressing outrage at the use of one of his songs by the Kari Lake gubernatorial campaign in Arizona and said it was exploring its legal options.
The official account of the Tom Petty estate issued its statement on social media.
“The Tom Petty estate and our partners were shocked to find out that Tom’s song ‘I Won’t Back Down’ was stolen and used without permission or a license to promote Kari Lake’s failed campaign,” the statement read.
“This is illegal. We are exploring all of our legal options to stop this unauthorized use and to prohibit future misappropriations of Tom’s beloved anthem,” the statement continued. “Thank you to all of the fans who brought this to our attention and who help us protect his legacy every day.”
Tom Petty died of an accidental overdose from several medications in 2017 at the age of 66. The medical examiner found numerous drugs in his system, including fentanyl, oxycodone, other opioids, a sedative, and an antidepressant.
This is not the first time a Republican candidate was asked to stop using Petty’s music.
In 2011, Petty objected to the use of his song “American Girl” by Michele Bachmann, who was running a reelection campaign for the U.S. House seat of Minnesota at the time. She went on to win that election.
Lake lost her bid to become Arizona’s governor to Democrat Katie Hobbs, but she has not conceded and instead appears to be gearing up for a legal battle over problems with ballot access on election day.
“Democracy is worth the wait. Thank you, Arizona. I am so honored and so proud to be your next Governor,” Hobbs tweeted on Monday after the Associated Press called the race.
Here’s more about the Petty estate threat:
Tom Petty estate threatens to sue Kari Lake’s campaign over use of song l ABC News www.youtube.com