Man, I'm completely on your side of the matter. There are some things, some entries into the big record that is culture, that should be shared by everyone instead of hoarded and locked away in a basement and left to collect dust.
Sometimes, it's the Vatican's secret archive and others it's a masterful artist's journey into american music history.
I wish I had developed an interest in Petty before he passed away. Same thing happened to me with David Bowie, to be honest, and he's currently my musical hero. To be remembered - What a reward for a life of creativity!
That's happened to me before also, but the hype when one of them dies sometimes provides a good push to get introduced to their music.