Tom Petty’s Wife And Daughter Are Fighting Over His Legacy And Money

It’s been about a year and a half since the legendary Tom Petty died of an accidental overdose. But like most deaths involving a rich and famous person with surviving family members, I knew it wasn’t long before things might get…petty. According to Page Six, Tom’s wife Dana Petty (seen above with him) and his daughter Adria Petty are currently at war with each other over Tom’s legacy.

Dana (who was married to Tom for ten years) recently filed legal papers accusing Adria (Tom’s 44-year-old daughter from his first marriage) of trying to “sell out” her father’s image. Dana says Adria wants to use Tom’s name and likeness for a line of products, kind of like Paul Newman and his Newman’s Own products.

Dana believes it’s nothing but a shameless cash-grab, and says Tom’s fans would think it’s a “perversion“of his legacy. Adria has shot back with an accusation of her own. She has alleged in a probate court that Dana has been misappropriating money from Tom’s estate, as well as intellectual property, for her own gain. Dana has reportedly responded by accusing Adria of being “unhinged.”

Dana, Adria, and her younger sister Annakim Petty, were all given equal management votes over Tom’s estate. And now Adria and Annakim are trying to gain more control. A few weeks ago, Adria filed a petition asking for control over Tom’s music catalogue. Dana, however, believes she’s the sole trustee of Tom’s trust, and she has requested a professional manager step in and take over to make decisions on behalf of all three women. Dana has also asked a judge to remove Adria and Annakim from Tom’s trust.

As if any of this needed more drama, Dana has also allegedly released text messages from Adria, and as if you even needed to be told, they’re pretty messy. Adria was allegedly working on a 4-CD box set of Tom’s work, and Dana decided to get involved with the cover design. Adria allegedly text-accused Dana of actively trying to “fuck things up.” Adria then allegedly threatened to get lawyers involved.

Lawyers for both sides have released statements regarding the situation. Adria and Annakim’s side argue that they’re doing what’s best for Tom’s legacy, and that Dana is power-hungry and is trying to take complete control. Dana’s side argues that she’s loyal to Tom and his fans, and she wants to do what’s best for them. And also that Adria and Annakim are fighting with everyone and love to sic their lawyers on people. There’s enough she said/she said in this situation, but what I really want to know are the details of Adria’s alleged plan to pimp out her dad’s image, Newman’s Own-style. Because I’ll be honest – I’d totally buy a brand of boxed frozen burgers called American Grill by Petty’s Patties.

Pic: Wenn.com