Howie Epstein, former bass player for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, has died in New Mexico of an apparent heroin overdose at age 47. http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/25/obit.epstein.ap/index.html "Fame is a vapor; popularity an accident; the only earthly certainty is oblivion" - Mark Twain
Howie was a great roots-rock bass player, as you can tell by the list of acts he's played with. He was also an awesome singer. He was coming into his own as a producer. Unfortunately, he had a huge appetite for very hard drugs, and it killed him. Don't mess with the pills and powders. They will f*ck you up permanently.
They apparently broke up after their arrest last year. She moved out of New Mexico to go live with her daughter while he stayed behind.
OMG, this is terrible news. Does anybody know why he and the band split last year? Was it because of his drug use? RIP Howie
