Very sad. When in my teens and 20s, I never would have considered myself a fan. That wasn't so much because I didn't like his music but rather FM radio gave me more than enough Tom Petty, so, no need to but, besides I was more of a metal head. As I got older though I learned to appreciate his straight forward rock and roll and became a fan.
He definitely seemed to be an overall nice guy and a gentlemen. His quote below proves that.
“About the Sam Smith thing. Let me say I have never had any hard feelings toward Sam. All my years of songwriting have shown me these things can happen. Most times you catch it before it gets out the studio door but in this case it got by. Sam’s people were very understanding of our predicament and we easily came to an agreement. The word lawsuit was never even said and was never my intention. And no more was to be said about it. How it got out to the press is beyond Sam or myself. Sam did the right thing and I have thought no more about this. A musical accident no more no less. In these times we live in this is hardly news. I wish Sam all the best for his ongoing career. Peace and love to all.”
He used to come on the Stern show when he was in his late teens. I think dad put an end to it though. At that time he was President of the tuna portion of business. They had an actual CEO, but still...
I remember reading when he bought the house, the plan was to join it with the property next door he already owned and make one big estate. Now he can do that, and thus no doubt, is happy.