1. Howard Norman Epstein was an American musician best known as a bassist with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
16 Facts About Howie Epstein
1. 2.
Howie Epstein's father, Sam, was a top local record producer who worked with various rock and roll and soul groups in the 1950s and 1960s.
3.
When he felt he had gone as far as he could go in Milwaukee, Howie Epstein decided to move to New York City, but before he could pack his gear, he was lured to the West Coast by a drummer friend to play bass in a new band that singer-songwriter John Hiatt was forming in Los Angeles.
4.
Howie Epstein stuck with Hiatt for two years and two albums.
6.
In 2002, Howie Epstein was fired from the band due to his substance addiction.
7.
Howie Epstein made his final appearance with the Heartbreakers when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2002.
8.
Howie Epstein played bass on recordings by Eric Andersen, Bob Dylan, Carlene Carter, Johnny Cash, John Hiatt, Stevie Nicks, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, John Prine, Linda Ronstadt, Del Shannon, The Textones, The Village People and Warren Zevon.
9.
Howie Epstein produced two albums for John Prine, 1991's The Missing Years, which won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording, and Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings.
10.
At Petty's urging, Howie Epstein later entered a drug rehabilitation center.
11.
On February 23,2003, Howie Epstein died from complications related to drug use.
12.
MTV News reported that Howie Epstein's death was caused by a heroin overdose.
13.
Howie Epstein was taking antibiotics for an illness and had recently suffered from influenza, stomach problems, and an abscess on his leg, friends said.
14.
Howie Epstein just got to where he couldn't do it anymore.
15.
Howie Epstein was survived by his brothers, Craig and Bradley Howie Epstein, and by his daughter, Jamie Leffler.
16.
Howie Epstein was interred at Second Home Cemetery in Greenfield, Wisconsin.