On February 3, 1959, the lives of three major pop stars were taken in a sudden, tragic plane accident. When the heat went out on their bus, 22-year-old Buddy Holly hired a small, one-engine plane to transport himself, 17-year-old Ritchie Valens, and 28-year-old J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson to the next spot on their "Winter Dance Party Tour" in Fargo, ND. Richardson was suffering from the flu and was offered a seat on the plane by Holly's guitarist, Waylon Jennings. Valens won his seat in a coin toss. Shortly after takeoff, they crashed full-throttle into a nearby Iowa cornfield.
The word of the loss spread quickly, and many of their family members found out before authorities could break the news more gently. Early on in her pregnancy, Holly's wife, Maria Elena, suffered a miscarriage after seeing a report of the crash on television. A new system was put in place where press are prohibited from announcing the names of victims until the deceased's next-of-kin have been informed, but the damage was already done in this case.
Singer-songwriter Don McLean was just a kid with a paper route when he found out about the death of his bespectacled idol on that cold morning. It haunted him for years, finally channeling the emotions into the first verse of his biggest hit, "American Pie." The horrible day is now known by all as "the day the music died," based on his lyrics. With several other references to important moments in music history, it remains one of the most quintessential classic rock hits.
Take a look at the performance below, and be sure to SHARE with your friends!