The day the music died. The Day the Music Died: Remembering rock and roll's biggest tragedy

On February 3, 1959, the music world was shocked when American rock and roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and JP 'The Big Bopper' Richardson were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, along with pilot Roger Peterson	Along with his band The Crickets, he had many hits including 'Peggy Sue', 'That'll Be the Day' and 'Everyday'
After an additional left turn to a northwesterly heading, the tail light was then observed gradually descending until it disappeared	Today February 3 marks 61 years since the disaster

What Happened On The Day The Music Died?

The decade was headlined by guys like and , Fats Domino, , and — of course —.

The Tragic Explanation Of The Day The Music Died
Watch Home Free and Don McLean sing 'American Pie' on 'The Day The Music Died': Everyone on board was killed
Watch Home Free and Don McLean sing 'American Pie' on 'The Day The Music Died': Rolling Stone also calls it "a sonic cataclysm," and it was that, too

Holly's guitarist Tommy Allsup remembered driving through Wisconsin: We had started up this incline, it was snowing real bad, and the bus just started going slower and slower, and the lights got dimmer and dimmer, and all of a sudden the bus stopped	Richardson's son — Jay Richardson — never met his father
N3794N Flight origin , Iowa, U	Aged just 17 at the time of the crash, his career lasted just eight months

The funerals of the victims were held individually.

The Day the Music Died: Forest Lawn cemetery did not allow above-ground monuments at that specific site, and Richardson's body was moved at the cemetery's expense to a more suitable area
The Day the Music Died: Remembering rock and roll's biggest tragedy: The artists themselves were responsible for loading and unloading equipment at each stop, as no assisted them
What Happened On The Day The Music Died?: At that intersection, a large plasma-cut steel set of -style glasses, similar to those Holly wore, marks the access point to the crash site

Radio contract with the aircraft disappeared as well	Do You Believe in Rock and Roll? While it might seem like a given that the remaining dates of the tour would be canceled, that actually didn't happen
Even as Holly's mother heard the news of his death on the radio, Maria Elena saw the report on the television	Although deteriorating weather was reported along the planned route, the weather briefings Peterson received failed to relay the information

Holly and Richardson were buried in Texas, Valens in California, and Peterson in Iowa.

What Happened On The Day The Music Died?: The remains of the pilot were later found inside, and says the three musicians had been thrown clear but died instantly
Watch Home Free and Don McLean sing 'American Pie' on 'The Day The Music Died': In his interview, no mention is made of Jennings or Allsup being invited on the plane
The Day the Music Died: Remembering rock and roll's biggest tragedy: She later said in an interview: "In a way, I blame myself