I was devastated by the news of rock legend Tom Petty's passing. He wrote and sang some of the most influential songs in the 1980's and 1990's. I thought I would take some time off from writing about politics and give a proper eulogy for the Icon. Tom Petty was born in Gainesville, FL, on Oct. 20, 1950. Despite his easy-going, affable persona, Petty endured a rough childhood, living in poverty with an alcoholic, abusive father and a mother who was in fear of her husband. When he was a teen, he had the opportunity to meet and shake hands with Elvis Presley which piqued his interest in Rock n' Roll. When he was 17, he dropped out of high school to play full time with his band, which at the time was named Mudcrutch. They later broke up, and Petty and others formed a band called Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. This catapulted him to the forefront of rock music for the next 40 years. Despite having several albums in the Billboard Top 100, his first number 1 album was Hypnotic Eye, release in 2014. Speaking to Billboard around the time of that release, Petty said, “The only good thing about getting older is you get smart enough to avoid unnecessary problems. You know what’s worth spending time on and what’s not. If I had known that at 20, life would have been so much easier, but you have to experience all these things so you figure out how to find your way through the woods.” I wanted to share five of my favorite Tom Petty songs with you and the reasons why you should listen to them if you haven't already. Let's get started.

1. Free Fallin', written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, Full Moon Fever (1989).

First off, this album had a lot of great hits. This particular song is one of Petty's, if not the most, famous songs in his reperoire. It peaked at number 7 on the Billboard charts. It's the oldest story about a girl being in love with a boy, but the lyrics and the sound give it a freshness that was and still is rare to this day. I love driving in my car, with the radio up as high as it will go, windows down, and belting along with Petty to the chorus.

2. Refugee, written by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell, Damn the Torpedos(1979).

With this track, the band declared they were not going to follow in the direction of the New Wave music that the eighties were moving towards. This song is very rock n' roll. From the opening, to the end. While recording this album Petty said, "I don't want to be the future – I want to be the present." The lead track on Damn the Torpedoes ensured that.

3. Runnin' Down a Dream, written by Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Mike Campbell, Full Moon Fever (1989).

I'm going to be honest. I love this song because it is on Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. I have many memories attached to this song.

4. Stop Draggin' my Heart Around, written by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell, Bella Donna (1981).

Stevie Nicks makes everything better, am I right? I mean just look at season three of American Horror Story. Petty wrote this song for Stevie after she asked him. The video is amazing. They are on a stage with the band, but when they are both singing, they sing directly into each other's faces making it seem as though they two lovers on the cusps of a break-up.

5. Don't Do Me Like That, written by Tom Petty, Damn the Torpedos(1979).

This is an electrifying, funky song from the Heartbreakers, which was kind of rare. Petty wanted to give it to the J. Geils band because he thought it sounded like their style. They later had the monster hit "Centerfold" if you remember. With a little convicing from producer Jimmy Iovine, Petty recorded it for himself. The song was his first to reach the top 10 charts.

Petty left a big hole in this world and his sudden death is painful to all of his fans. We still have his music and memories to hold onto though. That will help us move on.