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The tragic death of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens

Buddy Holly accident Ritchie Valens

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The tragic death of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens

Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and Big Popper’s deeath was immortalized as “the day the the music died”, being even on the lyrics of the famous Don McLean song “American Pie”. The tragedy happened back in 1959 in Mason City, Iowa, just minutes after the takeoff of their airplane, their were heading to Moorehead, Minnesota. According to investigations, the cause of the crash was teh bad weather and a pilot mistake error. Holly chartered a plane to his band because of technical problems on their bus. On the day of the accident, a seat became vacant and Ritchie Valens won the “heads or tails” flipping the coin, securing his place on the plane. Buddy Holly died at the age of 22 when he was opening for names like Elvis Presley.

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The musicians had a radio show and were touring internationally, playing hits such as “Peggy Sue,” “Oh, Boy!”, “Maybe Baby” and “Early in the Morning.” Holly wrote all of his songs and influenced artists like Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney.

Ritchie Valens died at the age of 17 and was already well-known for hits like “Come On, Lets Go,” “Donna” and “La Bamba.” Back in 1987, Valens’ life was portrayed in the film La Bamba. Valens was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in 2001.

JP “The Big Bopper” Richardson died at the age of 28. He started out as a DJ in Texas and was later composing songs. His most famous song is “Chantilly Lace”.

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I'm a Brazilian journalist who always loved Classic Rock and Heavy Metal music. That passion inspired me to create Rock and Roll Garage over 6 years ago. Music has always been a part of my life, helping me through tough times and being a support to celebrate the good ones. When I became a journalist, I knew I wanted to write about my passions. After graduating in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, I pursued a postgraduate degree in digital communication at the same institution. The studies and experience in the field helped me improve the website and always bring the best of classic rock to the world! MTB: 0021377/MG

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