Stevie Nicks Gives Emotional Speech About Tom Petty at Grammys Tribute Concert

Stevie Nicks speaks on stage at the 2018 MusiCares Person of the Year event on Friday night (January 26) at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

The legendary singer was honored at the event alongside her Fleetwood Mac bandmates Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, and John McVie.

Stevie gave a touching speech about her late friend Tom Petty during the event.

“The loss of Tom Petty has just about broken my heart,” she said (via People). “He was not only a good man to go down the river with, as Johnny Cash said, he was a great father and he was a great friend. He was one of my best friends. My heart will never get over this.”

Petty was the honoree at last year’s MusiCares event and Tom told Stevie “about how important it was to him. And maybe he was talking about it because [he] was ill. He was not well.”

“And he fought his way through that tour,” Stevie added about his tour, which wrapped up one week before he died in October 2017. “He should’ve canceled, and he should’ve just gone home and gone to the hospital. But not Tom. He was gonna go down that river. And so, God bless him, he finished his tour at the Hollywood Bowl. Three shows. And one week later he died – but he got down the river. So Tom, I know you’re standing next to me cause you always have been for so many years.”