Iconic singer Buddy Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley on September 7, 1936 and died in a tragic accident on February 3, 1959 at the age of 22. Holly was riding in a small airplane that he had chartered to bring him to a concert location in Moorhead, Minnesota during the three week Winter Dance Party tour.
Providence, Rhode Island resident Maria Souza remembers exactly where she was on the day the music died. "I remember it now. The little radio was on. It sat right on top of the fridge, and my mother was listening to country music. Then, when the news came on, they reported the sad news. At the time, the only singer I knew was The Big Bopper. I was sixteen-years-old when they died."
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson were the only people on board the plane other than the pilot, Roger Peterson. They all perished when the four-passenger Beechcraft Bonanza crashed in Iowa. It was speculated that the 21-year-old pilot lost control of the airplane after flying directly into the path of a blizzard.
Buddy Holly left behind his new wife, María Elena Holly, and their unborn child. Maria Elena Holly later miscarried the child. She did not attend the funeral, and she has never been to her husband's grave.
The Big Bopper was born Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr. on October 24, 1930. He was 28-years-old at the time of his death. He was a disc jockey and singer best known for his hit song "Chantilly Lace." Richardson left behind his wife, daughter, and unborn son.
Ritchie Valens was born Ricardo Esteban Valenzuela Reyes on May 13, 1941. He was the youngest member of the party who boarded that plane on February 2, 1959. Valens was just 17-years-old at the time of his death.
