Editing Buddy Holly (section)

==Life and career==
===Early life and career (1936–1955)===
Charles Hardin Holley (spelled "-ey") was born in [[Lubbock, Texas]], on September 7, 1936, the youngest of four children of Lawrence Odell "L.O." Holley (1901–1985) and Ella Pauline Drake (1902–1990). His elder siblings were Larry (1925–2022),<ref>{{Cite news |last=Driggars |first=Alex |date=April 8, 2022 |title=Larry Holley, Eldest Brother of Buddy Holly, Dies at 96 |work=[[Lubbock Avalanche-Journal]] |url=https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/news/2022/04/08/larry-holley-eldest-brother-buddy-holly-dies-96/9516263002/}}</ref> Travis (1927–2016),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Travis Holley, One of Buddy's Brothers, Dies Thursday (Playbill by Kerns Blog) |url=http://lubbockonline.com/interact/blog-post/william-kerns/2016-12-02/travis-holley-one-buddys-brothers-passes-away-thursday |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806180712/http://lubbockonline.com/interact/blog-post/william-kerns/2016-12-02/travis-holley-one-buddys-brothers-passes-away-thursday |archive-date=August 6, 2017 |access-date=December 30, 2016 |website=lubbockonline.com}}</ref> and Patricia Lou (1929–2008).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Patricia Holley Obituary (2008) - Surrey Advertiser |url=https://www.legacy.com/amp/obituaries/surreyad/107400302 |website=www.legacy.com}}</ref> Holly was of mostly [[English Americans|English]] and Welsh descent and had small amounts of Native American ancestry as well.<ref>Buddy Holly: A Biography By Ellis Amburn pg. 10</ref> From early childhood, Holly was nicknamed "Buddy."{{sfn|Gribbin|2012|p=12}} During the Great Depression, the Holleys frequently moved residence within Lubbock; L.O. changed jobs several times. Buddy Holly was baptized a Baptist, and the family were members of the Tabernacle Baptist Church.{{sfn|Gribbin|2012|p=12}}

The Holleys had an interest in music; all the family members except L.O. were able to play an instrument or sing. The elder Holley brothers performed in local talent shows; on one occasion, Buddy joined them on violin. Since he could not play it, his brother Larry greased the bow so it would not make any sound. The brothers won the contest.{{sfn|Gribbin|2012|p=13}} During World War II, Larry and Travis were called to military service. Upon his return, Larry brought with him a guitar he had bought from a shipmate while serving in the Pacific. At age 11, at his mother's urging, Buddy took piano lessons but abandoned them after nine months. He switched to the guitar after he saw a classmate playing and singing on the school bus. Buddy's parents initially bought him a [[steel guitar]], but he insisted that he wanted a guitar like his brother's. His parents bought him an acoustic guitar from a local pawnshop, and he learned how to play it from Travis.{{sfn|Gribbin|2012|p=14}}

During his early childhood, Holly was influenced by the music of [[Hank Williams]], [[Jimmie Rodgers]], [[Moon Mullican]], [[Bill Monroe]], [[Hank Snow]], [[Bob Wills]], and the [[Carter Family]]. At Roscoe Wilson Elementary, Holly became friends with [[Bob Montgomery (songwriter)|Bob Montgomery]], and the two played together, practicing with songs by [[The Louvin Brothers]] and [[Johnnie & Jack]].{{sfn|Norman|2011|p=34}} They both listened to the radio programs ''[[Grand Ole Opry]]'' on [[WSM (AM)|WSM]], ''[[Louisiana Hayride]]'' on [[KWKH]], and ''[[Big D Jamboree]]''. At the same time, Holly played with other musicians he met in high school, including [[Sonny Curtis]] and [[Jerry Allison]].{{sfn|Schinder|Schwartz|p=80|2007}} In 1952 Holly and Jack Neal participated as a duo billed as Buddy and Jack in a talent contest on a local television show. After Neal left, he was replaced by Bob Montgomery, and they were billed as Buddy and Bob. They soon started performing on the ''Sunday Party'' show on [[KDAV]] in 1953 and performed live gigs in Lubbock.{{sfn|Lehmer|p=6|2003}} At that time, Holly was influenced by late-night radio stations that played blues and rhythm and blues (R&B). He would sit in his car with Curtis and tune to distant radio stations that could only be received at night, when local transmissions ceased.{{sfn|Lehmer|p=7|2003}} Holly then modified his music by blending his earlier [[country and western]] influence with R&B.{{sfn|Wishart|p=540|2004}} 

By 1955, after graduating from [[Lubbock High School]], Holly decided to pursue a full-time career in music. He was further encouraged after seeing Elvis Presley perform live in Lubbock, whose act was booked by Pappy Dave Stone of KDAV. In February, Holly opened for Presley at the Fair Park Coliseum, in April at the Cotton Club, and again in June at the Coliseum. By that time, Holly had incorporated into his band Larry Welborn on the stand-up bass and Allison on drums, as his style shifted from country and western to [[rock and roll]] due to seeing Presley's performances and hearing his music.{{sfn|Lehmer|p=7|2003}} In October, Stone booked Bill Haley & His Comets and placed Holley as the opening act to be seen by [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] scout Eddie Crandall. Impressed, Crandall persuaded [[Grand Ole Opry]] manager Jim Denny to seek a recording contract for Holley. Stone sent a demo tape, which Denny forwarded to [[Paul Cohen (record producer)|Paul Cohen]], who signed the band to [[Decca Records]] in February 1956.{{sfn|Carr, Joseph|Munde, Alan|p=130|1997}} In the contract, Decca misspelled Holly's surname as "Holly", and from then on he was known as Buddy Holly, instead of his real name Holley.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

On January 26, 1956, Holly attended his first formal recording session, which was produced by [[Owen Bradley]].{{sfn|Schinder|Schwartz|2007|p=97}} He attended two more sessions in Nashville, but with the producer selecting the session musicians and arrangements, Holly became increasingly frustrated by his lack of creative control.{{sfn|Carr, Joseph|Munde, Alan|1997|p=130}} In April 1956, Decca released "[[Blue Days, Black Nights]]" as a single, with "Love Me" on the B-side. Denny included Holly on a tour as the opening act for [[Faron Young]]. During the tour, they were promoted as Buddy Holly and the Two Tones, while later Decca called them Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes.{{sfn|Carr, Joseph|Munde, Alan|1997|p=130}} The label later released Holly's second single "Modern Don Juan", [[b-side|backed with]] "You Are My One Desire". Neither single made an impression. On January 22, 1957, Decca informed Holly his contract would not be renewed, but insisted he could not record the same songs for anyone else for five years.{{sfn|Uslan|Solomon|1981|p=49}}

===The Crickets (1956–1957) ===
{{Main article|The Crickets}}
[[File:Buddy Holly & The Crickets publicity portrait - cropped.jpg|Buddy Holly and the Crickets in 1957 (top to bottom: Allison, Holly and Mauldin)|thumb]]
Holly was unhappy with the results of his time with Decca, and inspired by the success of [[Buddy Knox]]'s "[[Party Doll]]" and [[Jimmy Bowen]]'s "[[I'm Stickin' with You]]", he visited [[Norman Petty]], who had produced and promoted both records. Together with Allison, bassist [[Joe B. Mauldin]], and rhythm guitarist [[Niki Sullivan]], he went to Petty's studio in [[Clovis, New Mexico]]. The group recorded a demo of "[[That'll Be the Day]]", a song they had previously recorded in Nashville. In June 1956, Holly along with his older brother Larry as well as Allison and [[Sonny Curtis]] had gone to see the film ''[[The Searchers]]'', starring [[John Wayne]], in which Wayne repeatedly used the phrase "That'll be the day". This line of dialogue inspired the young musicians.<ref>Trzcinski, Matthew (February 10, 2022). [https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/john-wayne-movie-inspired-buddy-hollys-thatll-be-the-day.html/ "How a John Wayne Movie Inspired Buddy Holly's 'That'll Be the Day'"]. ''CheatSheet''.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=February 24, 2013 |title=My brother, Buddy Holly |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2cHUkUsoKo |access-date=May 23, 2024 |website=YouTube}}</ref> Now playing lead guitar, Holly achieved the sound he desired. Petty became his manager and sent the record to [[Brunswick Records]] in New York City. Holly, still under contract with Decca, could not release the record under his name, so a band name was used; Allison proposed the name "Crickets." Brunswick gave Holly a basic agreement to release "That'll Be the Day", leaving him with both artistic control and financial responsibility for future recordings.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Amburn |first=Ellis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3EAGAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT101 |title=Buddy Holly: A Biography |date=April 22, 2014 |publisher=St. Martin's Griffin |isbn=9781466868564 |page=101 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

Impressed with the demo, the label's executives released it without recording a new version. "I'm Looking for Someone to Love" was the B-side; the single was credited to [[The Crickets]]. Petty and Holly later learned that Brunswick was a subsidiary of Decca, which legally cleared future recordings under the name Buddy Holly. Recordings credited to the Crickets would be released on Brunswick, while the recordings under Holly's name were released on another subsidiary label, [[Coral Records]]. Holly concurrently held a recording contract with both labels.{{sfn|Carr, Joseph|Munde, Alan|1997|p=131}}

Norman Petty reasoned correctly that disc jockeys would be reluctant to play and promote multiple new records by the same artist, but would have no problem playing these same records if they were credited to different performers. Holly himself was unaware of this strategy; in a 1957 radio interview with Dale Lowery, Holly said, "We have three records going out right now. Of course, the first one was 'That'll Be the Day', the first one released. Then we have a new one out by The Crickets, called 'Oh Boy!' and 'Not Fade Away', and then there's one out, it's the same group but it's under my name -- I don't know why they did it that way, but it went out under my name -- called 'Peggy Sue' and 'Everyday'."<ref>Buddy Holly interviewed by Dale Lowery for KTOP radio (Topeka, Kansas), 1957.</ref> Holly's records were released with labels reading "Buddy Holly" ''or'' "The Crickets"; the band was never credited on records as "Buddy Holly ''and'' the Crickets" until 1962, when a compilation album was released.

"That'll Be the Day" was released on July 27, 1957. Petty booked Holly and the Crickets for a tour with [[Irvin Feld]], who had noticed the band after "That'll Be the Day" appeared on the R&B chart. He booked them for appearances in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and New York City.{{sfn|Lehmer|2003|p=16}} The band was booked to play at New York's [[Apollo Theater]] on August 16–22. During the opening performances, the group did not impress the audience, but they were accepted after they included "[[Bo Diddley (Bo Diddley song)|Bo Diddley]]". By the end of their run at the Apollo, "That'll Be the Day" was climbing the charts. Encouraged by the single's success, Petty started to prepare two album releases; a solo album for Holly and another for the Crickets.{{sfn|Lehmer|2003|p=17}} Holly appeared on ''[[American Bandstand]]'', hosted by [[Dick Clark]] on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], on August 26. Before leaving New York, the band befriended [[The Everly Brothers]].{{sfn|Lehmer|2003|p=18}}
[[File:That'll Be the Day ad - Cash Box 1957.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cashbox]]'' advertisement, August 3, 1957]] 
"That'll Be the Day" topped the [[Number-one hits of 1957 (United States)|US "Best Sellers in Stores"]] chart on September 23 and was number one on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in November.{{sfn|Lehmer|2003|p=19}} Three days prior, Coral released "[[Peggy Sue]]", backed with "[[Everyday (Buddy Holly song)|Everyday]]", with Holly credited as the performer. By October, "Peggy Sue" had reached number three on ''Billboard''{{'}}s pop chart and number two on the R&B chart; it peaked at number six on the UK Singles chart. As the success of the song grew, it brought more attention to Holly, with the band at the time being billed as "Buddy Holly and the Crickets"{{sfn|Gribbin|2012|p=57}} (although never on records during Holly's lifetime).

In the last week of September, the band members flew to Lubbock to visit their families.{{sfn|Gribbin|2012|p=58}} Holly's high school girlfriend, Echo McGuire, had left him for a fellow student.{{sfn|Norman|p=156|1996}} Aside from McGuire, Holly had a relationship with Lubbock fan June Clark.{{sfn|Norman|p=127|1996}} After Clark ended their relationship, Holly realized the importance of his relationship with McGuire and considered his relationship with Clark a temporary one.{{sfn|Norman|p=156|1996}} Meanwhile, for their return to recording, Petty arranged a session in [[Oklahoma City]], where he was performing with his own band. While the band drove to the location, the producer set up a makeshift studio. The rest of the songs needed for an album and singles were recorded; Petty later dubbed the material in Clovis.{{sfn|Gribbin|2012|p=58}} The resulting album, ''[[The "Chirping" Crickets]]'', was released on November 27, 1957. It reached number five on the UK Albums Chart. In October, Brunswick released the second single by the Crickets, "[[Oh, Boy! (The Crickets song)|Oh, Boy!]]", with "[[Not Fade Away (song)|Not Fade Away]]" on the B-side. The single reached number 10 on the pop chart and 13 on the R&B chart.{{sfn|Gribbin|2012|p=57}} Holly and the Crickets performed "That'll Be the Day" and "Peggy Sue" on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' on December 1, 1957. Following the appearance, Niki Sullivan left the group because he was tired of the intensive touring, and wished to resume his education. On December 29, Holly and the Crickets performed "Peggy Sue" on ''[[The Arthur Murray Party]]''.{{sfn|Moore|2011|p=127}}

===International tours and split (1958)===
On January 8, 1958, Holly and the Crickets joined ''America's Greatest Teenage Recording Stars'' tour.{{sfn|Moore|2011|p=128}} On January 25, Holly recorded "[[Rave On]]"; the next day, he made his second appearance on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', singing "Oh, Boy!"{{sfn|Moore|2011|p=128}} Holly departed to perform in [[Honolulu]], Hawaii, on January 27, and then started a week-long tour of Australia billed as the ''Big Show'' with [[Paul Anka]], [[Jerry Lee Lewis]] and [[Jodie Sands]].{{sfn|Norman|2011|p=189}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lo |first=Ping |date=October 29, 2008 |title=The night I saw Buddy Holly and the Crickets... for free |url=http://abc.net.au/local/stories/2008/10/29/2404761.htm |access-date=March 27, 2020 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref> In March, the band toured the United Kingdom, playing 50 shows in 25 days.<ref name="Buddy Holly UK Tour">{{Cite web|url=http://www.americanrocknrolluktours.co.uk/tour/buddy-holly-and-the-crickets-march-1958/|title=Buddy Holly & The Crickets – March 1958 « American Rock n Roll The UK Tours}}</ref> The same month, his debut solo album, ''[[Buddy Holly (album)|Buddy Holly]]'', was released. Upon their return to the United States, Holly and the Crickets joined Alan Freed's ''Big Beat Show'' tour for 41 dates. In April, Decca released ''[[That'll Be the Day (album)|That'll Be the Day]]'', featuring the songs recorded with Bradley during his early Nashville sessions.{{sfn|Schinder|Schwartz|2007|p=90}}

A new recording session in Clovis was arranged in May; Holly hired [[Tommy Allsup]] to play lead guitar. The session produced the recordings of "[[It's So Easy! (The Crickets song)|It's So Easy]]" and "[[Heartbeat (Buddy Holly song)|Heartbeat]]". Holly was impressed by Allsup and invited him to join the Crickets. In June, Holly traveled alone to New York for a solo recording session. Without the Crickets, he chose to be backed by a jazz and R&B band, recording "Now We're One" and [[Bobby Darin]]'s "[[Early in the Morning (Bobby Darin song)|Early in the Morning]]".{{sfn|Schinder|Schwartz|2007|p=91}}

During a visit to the offices of [[Peermusic|Peer-Southern]], Holly met [[María Elena Santiago]]. He asked her out on their first meeting and proposed marriage to her on their first date. The wedding took place on August 15. Norman Petty had tried to dissuade Holly from marriage; he felt that it would disappoint Holly's public and damage his career.

Holly and Santiago frequented many of New York's music venues, including the [[Village Gate]], Blue Note, [[Village Vanguard]], and Johnny Johnson's. Santiago later said that Holly was keen to learn fingerstyle flamenco guitar and that he would often visit her aunt's home to play the piano there. Holly planned collaborations between soul singers and rock and roll. He wanted to make an album with [[Ray Charles]] and [[Mahalia Jackson]]. Holly also had ambitions to work in film and registered for acting classes with Lee Strasberg's [[Actors Studio]].{{sfn|Norman|2011|p=281}}

Santiago accompanied Holly on tours. To hide her marriage to Holly, she was presented as the Crickets' secretary. She took care of the laundry and equipment set-up and collected the concert revenues. Santiago kept the money for the band instead of its habitual transfer to Petty in New Mexico.{{sfn|Norman|2011|p=274}} She and her aunt Provi Garcia, an executive in the Latin American music department at Peer-Southern, convinced Holly that Petty was paying the band's royalties from Coral-Brunswick into his own company's account. Holly planned to retrieve his royalties from Petty and later to fire him as manager and producer. At the recommendation of the Everly Brothers, Holly hired lawyer Harold Orenstein to negotiate his royalties.{{sfn|Norman|2011|p=280}} The problems with Petty were triggered after he was unable to pay Holly. At the time, New York promoter Manny Greenfield reclaimed a large part of Holly's earnings; Greenfield had booked Holly for shows during previous tours. The two had a verbal agreement; Greenfield would obtain 5% of the booking earnings. Greenfield later felt he was also acting as Holly's manager and deserved a higher payment, which Holly refused. Greenfield then sued Holly. Under New York law, because Holly's royalties originated in New York and were directed out of the state, the payments were frozen until the dispute was settled.{{sfn|Laing|p=153|2010}}

In September, Holly returned to Clovis for a new recording session, which yielded "Reminiscing" and "Come Back Baby". During the session, he ventured into producing by recording Lubbock DJ [[Waylon Jennings]]. Holly produced the single "Jole Blon" and "When Sin Stops (Love Begins)" for Jennings.{{sfn|Carr, Joseph|Munde, Alan|1997|p=155}} Holly became increasingly interested in the New York music, recording, and publishing scene. Holly and Santiago settled in Apartment 4H of the Brevoort Apartments, at 11 Fifth Avenue in [[Greenwich Village]], where he recorded a series of acoustic songs, including "[[Crying, Waiting, Hoping]]" and "What to Do".{{sfn|Norman|2011|p=274–278}} The inspiration to record the songs is sometimes attributed to the ending of his relationship with McGuire.{{sfn|Lloyd Webber|2015}}

On October 21, 1958, Holly's final studio session was recorded at the [[Pythian Temple (New York City)|Pythian Temple]] on West 70th Street (now a luxury condominium). Known by Holly fans as "the string sessions", Holly recorded four songs for Coral in an innovative collaboration with an 18-piece ensemble composed of former members of the [[NBC Symphony Orchestra]] (including saxophonist [[Boomie Richman]]) under the direction of [[Dick Jacobs]].

The four songs recorded during the {{frac|3|1|2}}-hour session were: 
*"True Love Ways" (written by Buddy Holly), 
*"[[Moondreams (Norman Petty song)|Moondreams]]" (written by [[Norman Petty]]), 
*"[[Raining in My Heart]]" (written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant) and 
*"[[It Doesn't Matter Anymore]]" (written by Paul Anka).{{sfn|Norman|2011|p=276–278}}
These four songs were the only ones Coral ever mixed in stereo, but only "Raining in My Heart" was released that way (in 1959, on an obscure promotional LP titled ''Hitsville''). All four records otherwise received releases in mono. The original stereo mixes were consulted many years later for compilation albums.

Holly ended his association with Petty in December 1958. His band members kept Petty as their manager and split from Holly. The split was amicable and based on logistics: Holly had decided to settle permanently in New York, where the business and publishing offices were, and the Crickets preferred not to leave their home state.

===Winter Dance Party tour and death (1959)===
{{Main|The Day the Music Died}}
[[File:GlassesSign.jpg|thumb|right|Signpost near the Clear Lake crash site]]

Holly vacationed with his wife in Lubbock and visited Jennings's radio station in December 1958.{{sfn|Jennings|Kaye|1996|p = 51}} For the start of the [[Winter Dance Party]] tour, he assembled a band consisting of [[Waylon Jennings]] (electric bass), [[Tommy Allsup]] (guitar), and [[Carl Bunch]] (drums).{{sfn|Corbin, Sky|2014}} Holly and Jennings left for New York City, arriving on January 15, 1959. Jennings stayed at Holly's apartment by [[Washington Square Park]] on the days prior to a meeting scheduled at the headquarters of the [[General Amusement Corporation|General Artists Corporation]], which organized the tour.{{sfn|Jennings|Kaye|1996|p = 58, 59}} They then traveled by train to Chicago to join the rest of the band.{{sfn|Jennings|Kaye|1996|p = 62}}

[[File:Surf Ballroom Monument.jpg|thumb|Monument in front of Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa]]
The Winter Dance Party tour began in [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]], on January 23, 1959. The amount of travel involved created logistical problems, as the distance between venues had not been considered when scheduling performances. Adding to the problem, the unheated tour buses twice broke down in freezing weather, with dire consequences. Holly's drummer, Carl Bunch, was hospitalized for [[frostbite]] to his toes (sustained while aboard the bus), so Holly decided to seek other transportation.{{sfn|Everitt|2004|p = [https://books.google.com/books?id=H4TSH_b7IHYC&pg=PA13 13]}} On February 2, before their appearance in [[Clear Lake, Iowa]], Holly chartered a four-seat [[Beechcraft Bonanza]] airplane for Jennings, Allsup, and himself, from Dwyer Flying Service in [[Mason City, Iowa]]. Holly's idea was to depart following the show at the [[Surf Ballroom]] in Clear Lake and fly to their next venue, in [[Moorhead, Minnesota]], via [[Fargo, North Dakota]], allowing them time to rest and launder their clothes and avoid an arduous bus journey. Immediately after the Clear Lake show (which ended just before midnight), Allsup agreed to flip a coin for the seat with [[Ritchie Valens]]. Valens called heads; when he won, he reportedly said, "That's the first time I've ever won anything in my life." Allsup later opened a restaurant/bar in [[Fort Worth, Texas]], called Heads Up Saloon.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Galloway |first=Paul |date=June 24, 1988 |title=Hit parade |work=Chicago Tribune |id={{ProQuest|882608515}}}}</ref> Waylon Jennings voluntarily gave up his seat to [[The Big Bopper|J. P. Richardson (the Big Bopper)]], who had influenza and complained that the tour bus was too cold and uncomfortable for a man of his size.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Denberg |first=Jody |date=January 1988 |title=Chantilly Lace and a Jolly Face |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AyoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA103 |newspaper=[[Texas Monthly]] |page=100 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

The pilot, Roger Peterson, took off in inclement weather<!-- The meteorological conditions at the time of the aircraft's takeoff were not "a snowstorm" as previously stated here, but "Precipitation ceiling 3,000 feet (1,800 feet AGL), sky obscured; visibility 6 miles; scattered light snow; temperature {{convert|18|°F|°C|abbr=on}}; winds south 20 knots, gusts to 30 knots; altimeter setting 29.85 inches". Snow level on the ground the morning after was four inches. See [<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fiftiesweb.com/cab.htm |title=Crash Report – The Day the Music Died, February 3, 1959 |website=Fiftiesweb.com |last=Rich |first=Candace |date=October 24, 2023 |access-date=August 13, 2024}}</ref>] for the Civil Aeronautics Board investigation report. -->, even though he was not certified to fly by [[instrument flight rules|instruments only]]. Buddy's brother Larry Holley said, "I got the full report from the Civil Aeronautics – it took me a year to get it, but I got it – and they had installed a new Sperry gyroscope in the airplane. The Sperry works different than any other gyro. One of them, the background moves and the plane stays like this [stationary], and in the other one the background stays steady and the plane moves, it works just backwards. He [the pilot] could have been reading this backwards... they were going down, they thought they were still climbing."

Shortly after 1:00&nbsp;a.m. on February 3, 1959, Holly, Valens, Richardson, and Peterson were killed when the aircraft crashed into a cornfield five miles northwest of Clear Lake shortly after takeoff. The three musicians, who were ejected from the fuselage upon impact, sustained severe head and chest injuries.{{sfn|Associated Press staff|1959}} Holly was 22 years old.

The report did not mention a gun belonging to Holly that was found by a farmer two months after the crash. Newspaper accounts of the gun discovery fueled rumors among fans that the pilot was somehow shot, causing the crash. Another curious finding at the crash was that Richardson's body was discovered nearly {{convert|40|ft|m|abbr=off}} away from the crash while the others were found in or near the wreckage. However, an autopsy done at the request of Richardson's son in 2007 found no evidence to support the rumors. Dr. Bill Bass, a forensic anthropologist at the University of Tennessee, stated that "There was no indication of foul play," and that Richardson "died immediately."<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 7, 2007 |title=Big Bopper rumours put to rest by autopsy |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/big-bopper-rumours-put-to-rest-by-autopsy-1.683130 |publisher=The Associated Press |via=CBC}}</ref>

[[File:Buddy holley headstone.jpg|thumb|right|Holly's headstone in the City of Lubbock Cemetery]]
Holly's funeral was held on February 7, 1959, at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock. The service was officiated by Ben D. Johnson, who had presided at the Hollys' wedding just months earlier. The pallbearers were Jerry Allison, Joe B. Mauldin, Niki Sullivan, Bob Montgomery, and [[Sonny Curtis]]. Some sources say that Phil Everly, one half of [[The Everly Brothers]], was also pallbearer, but Everly said that he attended the funeral but was not a pallbearer.{{sfn|Amburn, Ellis|p=347|2014}} Waylon Jennings was unable to attend because of his commitment to the still-touring Winter Dance Party. Holly's body was interred in the City of Lubbock Cemetery, in the eastern part of the city. Holly's headstone carries the correct spelling of his surname (Holley) and a carving of his [[Fender Stratocaster]] guitar.{{sfn|Amburn, Ellis|p=348–52|2014}}

Santiago watched the first reports of Holly's death on television. The following day, she suffered a miscarriage. Holly's mother, who heard the news on the radio in Lubbock, Texas, screamed and collapsed. Because of Elena's miscarriage, in the months following the accident, some government authorities implemented a policy against announcing victims' names until after families are informed.{{sfn|Suddath|2009}} Santiago did not attend the funeral and has never visited the gravesite. She later told the ''Avalanche-Journal'', "In a way, I blame myself. I was not feeling well when he left. I was two weeks pregnant, and I wanted Buddy to stay with me, but he had scheduled that tour. It was the only time I wasn't with him. And I blame myself because I know that, if only I had gone along, Buddy never would have gotten into that airplane."{{sfn|Kerns|2008}}