The Day the Music Died

On February 3, 1959, American rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and "The Big Bopper" J. P. Richardson were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, together with pilot Roger Peterson.

The event later became known as "The Day the Music Died", after singer-songwriter Don McLean coined the phrase in his 1971 song "American Pie".

Crash
On the night before their deaths, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and Jiles Perry "J.P" Richardson jr. a.k.a The Big Bopper had played one of their gigs for  the 24 city Winter Dance Party Tour. They were aboard a tour bus when the heating system broke down, so all the musicians had to board a Beechcraft Bonanza 35 plane to get to the next gig in Moorhead, Minnesota. Pilot Roger Peterson lost control of the plane around 1:00 am. The plane crashed into a cornfield, ejecting Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, and the pilot, who all died upon impact. 

Other websites

 February 3, 1959 front page of the Mason City Globe-Gazette, via Newspapers.com 
 fiftiesweb.com The Day the Music Died 
 Bakotopia Magazine's 50th Anniversary memorial article
 1959: Buddy Holly killed in air crash
 Voices of Oklahoma interview with Tommy Allsup.  First person interview conducted with Tommy Allsup on September 8, 2011. Original audio and transcript archived with Voices of Oklahoma oral history project. 

Category:1959 deaths
Category:1950s in the United States