Give a stream of consciousness and then the final answer. On February 3, 1959, rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" 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 referred to it as such in his 1971 song "American Pie".

Answer this question: who sang the song the day the music died?
To answer the above question, the relevant sentence is: The event later became known as "The Day the Music Died", after singer-songwriter Don McLean referred to it as such in his 1971 song "American Pie".
So, the final answer is singer - songwriter Don McLean.