Tom Petty ex-wife Jane Benyo's Bio: Cancer, Death, Divorce, Daughters (2024)

• Jane Benyo is the ex-wife of Tom Petty
• She was born in Gainesville, Florida, USA
• Jane and Tom were married for 20 years
• Jane is set to inherit a part of Tom Petty's $75 million fortune
• She inspired the eponymous song “Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks

Contents

  • 1 Who is Jane Benyo?
  • 2 Jane Benyo Bio: Early Life, Parents, and Education
  • 3 Jane Benyo and Tom Petty
  • 4 Divorce and Later Life
  • 5 Jane Benyo’s Children: Adria Petty and Kimberly Violette
  • 6 Jane Benyo Net Worth
  • 7 “Edge of Seventeen” Inspiration

Who is Jane Benyo?

You all know Tom Petty, no introduction needed there, but what do you know about his ex-wife Jane Benyo, and their troublesome marriage? Jane Benyo was born in Gainesville, Florida USA, however,thre exact birthdate hasn’t been made available to the public. She came to prominence as the wife of now deceased rock legend, Tom Petty – the two were married for more than 20 years, however, it wasn’t love but depression that marked their relationship. Do you want to know more about Jane and her relationship with Tom, and how she inspired the eponymous song “Edge of Seventeen”?

Tom Petty ex-wife Jane Benyo's Bio: Cancer, Death, Divorce, Daughters (1)
CategoryInformation
Full NameJane Benyo
Known ForBeing the first wife of rock legend Tom Petty
EducationGainesville High School
SpouseTom Petty (Married 1974–1996)
ChildrenAdria Petty (Director, art director, and editor), Kimberly Violette Petty (Artist)
Place of BirthGainesville, Florida, USA
NationalityAmerican
Notable Works/AwardsJane Benyo is indirectly associated with the inspiration for the song “Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks, as recounted by Tom Petty.

Jane Benyo Bio: Early Life, Parents, and Education

Although Jane became fairly well known in the media, she has successfully managed to keep all the information that matters hidden from public eyes. This includes the identity of her parents, and whether she has any siblings or not. However, information about her education is available – Jane was an alumnus of Gainesville High School, just like her ex-husband Tom Petty.

Jane Benyo and Tom Petty

Tom and Jane met in high school where the romance was born; a musician on the rise, Tom left high school when he was 17. The two enjoyed their romantic relationship, and soon started living together, and before fame struck Petty, the two married on the 26th March 1976. Nowhere near a star, Jane remained next to Tom and supported his musical endeavors, and in 1978 Tom became a national star with the release of the debut studio album from Tom and his band The Heartbreakers. Tom continued his rise to fame, with such albums as “Damn the Torpedoes” (1979), which achieved triple platinum status in the USA and double platinum in Canada, then “Hard Promises” (1981), which went platinum in the USA and Canada. Tom enjoyed success throughout the ‘80s, crowning his career in 1989 with the solo album “Full Moon Fever”, also scoring a multiple platinum rating. As Tom was becoming more popular, Jane’s name was also starting to open doors, but she focused more on raising children and being a good wife. However, this led to Jane’s alienation from Tom, and she started behaving aggressively towards her husband and their children.

Tom Petty ex-wife Jane Benyo's Bio: Cancer, Death, Divorce, Daughters (2)

Divorce and Later Life

With more problems brewing in their marriage, Jane fell into depression and started experiencing other mental health problems, which ultimately led to drug abuse. Upon realizing that his marriage had hit the point of no return, Tom himself started taking drugs, and the two cut their ties in 1996, and since then the two lived separate lives, Tom married for the second time in 2001, but sadly passed away after an accidental painkiller drugs overdose, which caused cardiac arrest on the 2nd October 2017. For Jane, divorce became an excellent move, as she has managed to recover from all the problems, and has led a low-key life since then. She re-emerged in the media following Tom’s death, however, she decided not to make any comments on this tragic event.

Tom Petty ex-wife Jane Benyo's Bio: Cancer, Death, Divorce, Daughters (3)

Jane Benyo’s Children: Adria Petty and Kimberly Violette

Adria Petty was born on the 28th November 1974 and has since made a career on her own as a director, art director, and editor, who came to prominence through collaborations with such musicians as Coldplay, Rihanna, Beyonce, Macy Gray, Duffy, and many other musicians, including her father on the song “Don’t Pull Me Over”. Kimberly, on the other hand, is an artist and quite popular on Instagram – her official page has over 1,100 fans. Her exact birth date is unknown, though some sources reports that Kimberly was born in 1982.

Jane Benyo Net Worth

Although she decided not to pursue a professional career, but be a good wife and an even better mother, Jane’s net worth rose with the wealth of Tom Petty throughout their marriage. She is now set to inherit a part of Tom Petty’s fortune authoritatively estimated at $75 million. Until that matter is settled, no exact information about her personal net worth is available, however, according to some sources, her wealth is already in the millions of dollars.

“Edge of Seventeen” Inspiration

When Tom and Jane met, she was 17 years old; when Tom introduced her to his colleague musician, Stevie Nicks, she misheard Jane when she said she was only 17 years old, which she understood “Edge of Seventeen”, which inspired her to write the lyrics of the now eponymous song, which went on to earn a Grammy Award- nomination in the category for the best female rock vocalist.

Tom Petty ex-wife Jane Benyo's Bio: Cancer, Death, Divorce, Daughters (2024)
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