Stan Lynch Releases 'High Flying Bird' for Tom Petty
Stan Lynch, the original drummer with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, has released a song and video called 'High Flying Bird' dedicated to Petty, his late bandmate.
The release was reported by Billboard on Oct. 2, 2026. Lynch began writing the song years ago and finished it for release now. He recorded it with members of Speaker Wars, one of his current bands.
The video draws on his own collection. About a year ago, Lynch unearthed boxes of photographs and home movies and asked an archivist to catalogue them. Those images form the basis of the clip.
Lynch was with the Heartbreakers from the start. He left after the band's performance at the Bridge School Benefit in Mountain View, California, in October 1994.
He has reconnected with his former bandmates in recent years. He has filled in on drums for guitarist Mike Campbell's band the Dirty Knobs. Then, on Sept. 16, he joined the other Heartbreakers at the 25th Annual Americana Honors & Awards in Nashville, where the group performed with Chris Stapleton and received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Petty's legacy and archives are overseen by his eldest daughter, Adria. She has been assembling the upcoming Origins 1971-1978 box set, due out Nov. 6.
For fans, this means a rare new link between the band's early line-up and its present. It is a personal farewell from a drummer who helped set its first rhythm, told through music and family footage rather than words alone.
