Complex sentence: Thomas Earl Petty (October 20,1950--October 2,2017) was an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer best known as the lead singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Split into simpler sentences: Thomas Earl Petty (October 20,1950--October 2,2017) was an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. Petty served as the lead singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.