Rock star Tom Petty is seriosuly ill in hospital, it has been reported.

The veteran musician, best known as the frontman for his band The Hearbreakers, suffered a full cardiac arrest and was found unconscious and not breathing in his Malibu home on Sunday night.

He was taken to Santa Monica Hospital and put on life support. It was reported on Monday that he had died, but this wqas later retracted by the Los Angeles Police Department

Petty rose to fame in the 1970s and his group put out several hits, including "American Girl," "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," "Breakdown," "Listen to Her Heart" and more.

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Petty was also a successful solo artist and sang the megahit "Freefallin', and a mamber of the 1980s supergroup the Traveling Wilburys with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne.

Petty and his band debuted their first self-titled record in 1976, and continued to perform over the past four decades.

The rocker played his last show last Monday, performing three sold-out shows at the Hollywood Bowl to conclude their 40th anniversary tour.