Editing Don McLean (section)

==Legacy and influence==
The plane crash that killed musicians [[Buddy Holly]], [[Ritchie Valens]], and [[The Big Bopper|"The Big Bopper" J. P. Richardson]] has become known as "[[The Day the Music Died]]", the expression by which McLean, a fan of Buddy Holly, dubbed it in "American Pie".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Crouse |first1=Richard |title=Who Wrote The Book Of Love? |date=March 15, 2012 |publisher=Doubleday Canada |isbn=978-0-385-67442-3 |page=86 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OyZyWKcmRhEC&pg=PT86 |language=en}}</ref> Holly's death for him symbolized the "loss of innocence" of the early rock-'n-roll generation.<ref name="Thimou">{{cite web|last = Thimou|first = Theodore|title = Preview: The Twice-Famous Don McLean Plays Rams Head|work = Bay Weekly|date = December 28, 2006|url = http://www.bayweekly.com/musicscene.html|access-date = September 11, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080613224425/http://www.bayweekly.com/musicscene.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = June 13, 2008}}</ref>

Musician [[Lori Lieberman]] was inspired by a&nbsp;McLean&nbsp;performance in late 1971 to co-write "[[Killing Me Softly with His Song]]". In November 1971, Lieberman, then 20, went out with her friend Michele Willens to see&nbsp;Don McLean&nbsp;perform at the&nbsp;Troubadour&nbsp;nightclub in Los Angeles.<ref name="WaPo Edgers 2020">{{cite news |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/she-sang-killing-me-softly-before-roberta-flack-now-she-just-wants-you-to-hear-her-side-of-the-story/2020/01/23/9d9dcc7e-3b9d-11ea-8872-5df698785a4e_story.html |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = January 24, 2020 |last = Edgers |first = Geoff |title = She sang 'Killing Me Softly' before Roberta Flack. Now she just wants you to hear her side of the story. }}</ref> McLean's hit song "American Pie" was rising in the charts, but Lieberman was strongly affected by McLean singing another song: "Empty Chairs".<ref name="dm-ny">{{cite web |date = January 21, 2009 |url = http://www.don-mclean.com/?p=310 |title = The "Killing Me Softly" Story |website = Don-mclean.com |access-date = October 8, 2016 |archive-date = October 16, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161016222745/http://www.don-mclean.com/?p=310 |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|J6W6RKlmhq4|Lori Lieberman - Killing Me Softly (The Story Behind)}}</ref> This song spurred her to write poetic notes on a paper napkin while he was performing the song.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09hqpzz |work = [[BBC iPlayer]] |title = Classic Albums - Don McLean: American Pie |access-date = December 10, 2017 }}</ref> McLean said in 1973 that he was surprised to find out that the song described his singing. "I'm absolutely amazed. I've heard both Lori's and Roberta's version and I must say I'm very humbled about the whole thing. You can't help but feel that way about a song written and performed as well as this one is."<ref name="nydn">{{cite news |last = O'Haire |first = Patricia |date=April 5, 1973 |title=A Killer of a Song |page=6 |newspaper=[[New York Daily News|Daily News]] |url = https://don-mclean.com/2009/01/21/the-killing-me-softly-story/ |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130514165758/http://www.don-mclean.com/i/kill.jpg |archive-date=May 14, 2013 |location = New York }}</ref> After decades of confirming Lieberman's contribution, Fox and Gimbel changed their story about the song's origins to downplay her role. Gimbel threatened McLean with a lawsuit in 2008, demanding he remove from his website an assertion that McLean was the inspiration for "Killing Me Softly", 
but McLean responded by showing Gimbel his own words confirming the inspiration, published in 1973.

"Vincent" was rapper [[Tupac Shakur]]'s favorite song. Shakur's girlfriend reportedly played the song for him when he was hospitalized and in a coma.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Tupac Shakur's Sudden Death and the Life He Left Behind |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/1997/03/tupac-shakur-rap-death |magazine=Vanity Fair |date=September 3, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Now |first1=Dave Paulson More Content |title=Behind the Song: Don McLean's 'Vincent' |url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/entertainment/music/2020/10/23/behind-song-don-mclean-x2019/1058798007/ |website=The Columbus Dispatch}}</ref> Shakur's mother also insisted the song be included in a documentary about the rapper's life.

President [[Joe Biden]] capped the official state visit of South Korean President [[Yoon Suk-Yeol]] with a state dinner on April 27, 2023, at the White House to celebrate the two nations' 70-year alliance. Following a round of musical performances, Yoon took to the microphone himself with a rendition of Don McLean's "American Pie".<ref>{{cite news |title=Watch: South Korean president sings 'American Pie' for Biden |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2023/04/27/yoon-suk-yeol-south-korea-president-sings-don-mclean-american-pie-don-white-house-state-dinner-kristie-lu-stout-ovn-contd-ldn-vpx.cnn |date=April 27, 2023 |language=en}}</ref> Joe Biden then presented Yoon with a guitar autographed by McLean.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Baker |first=Peter |date=2023-04-27 |title=Korean Dressing, Irish Poetry and ‘American Pie’: A State Dinner of Harmony |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/26/us/politics/biden-state-dinner-south-korea.html |access-date=2025-03-30 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

===Honors===
McLean's alma mater, [[Iona College (New York)|Iona College]] in New Rochelle, New York, conferred an honorary doctorate on him in 2001.<ref>{{cite web|title=Iona College|url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/iona-college-2737|website=US News & World Report - Rankings and Reviews|access-date=January 12, 2013|archive-date=January 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130091905/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/iona-college-2737|url-status=dead}}</ref> McLean has since been vocal in his criticism of the college: "Iona was, in my day, a college for the average student who wanted to go home after class. The educational experience was perfect for me. I loved the small Greek revival style campus buildings and I got to put on little shows in Doorley Hall auditorium. Since those days, the Irish Christian Brothers have been virtually destroyed by the disgusting behavior of many in their order as charges of mass child molestation have destroyed their ranks.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/new-rochelle/2019/04/11/catholic-sex-abuse-iona-prep/3079451002/|title=Former Iona Prep student alleges abuse by Irish Christian Brothers, culture of silence|last=Esposito|first=Frank|newspaper=The Journal News|access-date=October 10, 2019}}</ref> No punishment is harsh enough when you think of trusting Catholic parents giving their children over to these cynical monsters. I am very disappointed in the Irish Christian Brothers and Iona College."

[[File:Don McLean in 2012.jpg|thumb|right|McLean at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London, October 2012]]

In February 2002, "American Pie" was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame|title=Grammy Hall of Fame|website=The Grammys|access-date=January 31, 2017}}</ref> In 2004, McLean was inducted into the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]].

In February 2012, McLean won the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Life Time Achievement award.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/events/folk-awards-2012|title=Radio 2 - Events - Radio 2 Folk Awards 2012|publisher=BBC|date=February 8, 2012|access-date=April 15, 2012}}</ref>

In March 2012, the PBS network broadcast a feature-length documentary about the life and music of McLean called ''Don McLean: American Troubadour'' produced by four-time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker [[Jim Brown (director)|Jim Brown]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kpbs.org/news/2012/jan/06/don-mclean-american-troubadour/ |title=Don McLean: American Troubadour |date=November 6, 2012 |website=KPBS.org |access-date=January 27, 2017}}</ref>

In March 2017, McLean's single "American Pie" was designated an "aural treasure" by the Library of Congress, "worthy of preservation" in the National Recording Registry "as part of America's patrimony".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-17-029/national-recording-registry-picks-are-over-the-rainbow/2017-03-29/|title=National Recording Registry Picks Are "Over the Rainbow"|website=Library of Congress|access-date=January 17, 2019}}</ref>  In 1991, a re-issue of "American Pie" reached the UK top 20 singles chart and in July 2017, "American Pie" peaked at number 6 on the ''Billboard'' Rock Digital Songs Sales chart, nearly 50 years after its first release.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/don-mclean|title=Don McLean Chart History|website=Billboard|access-date=January 17, 2019}}</ref>

In May 2019, the UCLA Student Alumni Association awarded McLean its [[UCLA Spring Sing#The George and Ira Gershwin Award|George and Ira Gershwin Award]] for Lifetime Musical Achievement. However, the award was rescinded before it was formally bestowed because of McLean's conviction for domestic abuse.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pressherald.com/2017/07/20/don-mclean-pays-3660-fine-to-end-domestic-violence-case/|title=Don McLean pays $3,660 fine to end domestic violence case|author=Stephen Betts|website=Pressherald.com|date=July 21, 2017}}</ref> In response, McLean issued the following statement: "UCLA awarded this lifetime achievement award and then took it back because you found out about my squabble with my ex-wife. This has been all over the Internet for three years. Are you people morons? This is settled law. Maybe I need to give you some bribe money to grease the college wheels? I am guilty of nothing to do with assault and you had better make that clear. We live in a dark age of accusation and not law."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-48186337|title=Don McLean in row over withdrawn award|publisher=BBC News|date=May 7, 2019|access-date=August 29, 2019}}</ref>

On November 7, 2019, McLean returned to New Rochelle to view a new mural depicting a likeness of his younger self, with lyrics from "American Pie", on the side of a building on the corner of 134 North Avenue and Bonnefoy Place, painted by artist Loic Ercolessi for a non-profit organization, Street Art for Mankind.  The mural includes the likeness of singer/songwriter [[Alicia Keys]], with lyrics to the song "[[Empire State of Mind]]", which she performed with [[Jay-Z]].<ref name="lohud-propper">{{cite news|url=https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/new-rochelle/2019/11/07/don-mclean-new-rochelle-mural/4176317002/|title=With mural as backdrop, Don McLean comes home to New Rochelle|website=lohud.com|date=November 7, 2019|author=David Propper|access-date=November 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108034456/https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/new-rochelle/2019/11/07/don-mclean-new-rochelle-mural/4176317002/|archive-date=November 8, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:2019-11-14 DonMcLean LasVegasWalkOfStars.tif|thumb|Don McLean being presented with a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars]]

Throughout McLean's career artists including [[Garth Brooks]], [[Madonna]], [[Drake (musician)|Drake]], [[Josh Groban]] and others have recorded his songs. At a ceremony in October 2019, plaques certified by the Recording Industry Association of America for gold, platinum, and multi-platinum sales in the United States as well as presentations from Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom were bestowed on McLean. He said: "As a songwriter your songs are like your children, and you are hopeful everyone loves them as much as you do, but rarely is that the case. I am so grateful that songs I have written have touched so many lives and have been recorded by so many great artists."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newmusicweekly.com/don-mclean-celebrated-with-worldwide-gold-platinum-multi-platinum-awards-during-television-taping/|title=Don McLean Celebrated With Worldwide Gold, Platinum & Multi-Platinum Awards During Television Taping|date=October 19, 2019|website=New Music Weekly|language=en-US|access-date=October 22, 2019|archive-date=September 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922093105/https://newmusicweekly.com/don-mclean-celebrated-with-worldwide-gold-platinum-multi-platinum-awards-during-television-taping/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Television host [[Alex Trebek]] asked McLean to sing for him and his Jeopardy family at his annual Christmas party in 2019. McLean was on his "bucket list".<ref>{{cite news |title=Alex Trebek Cried Tears of Joy During Emotional Final Christmas Party as Don McLean Performed |url=https://people.com/tv/alex-trebek-cried-tears-of-joy-during-emotional-final-christmas-party-as-don-mclean-performed/ |work=People |language=en}}</ref> The event was held at an Italian restaurant near Trebek's home.[[File:Alex Trebek and Don McLean onstage at Trebek's annual Christmas Party.jpg|thumb|[[Alex Trebek]] and Don McLean onstage at Trebek's annual Christmas Party]]

In February 2021, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of "American Pie", McLean recorded an [[A cappella]] rendition with the band [[Home Free (group)|Home Free]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Dowling |first=Marcus |title=Don McLean Joins Forces With Home Free For a New Cover of "American Pie" |url=http://www.cmt.com/news/1829880/don-mclean-collaborates-home-free-new-cover-american-pie/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203181109/http://www.cmt.com/news/1829880/don-mclean-collaborates-home-free-new-cover-american-pie/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 3, 2021 |website=CMT |access-date=February 28, 2021}}</ref> He stars in the music video with the singers in a virtual collaboration. The video won three Telly Awards in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=Don McLean + Home Free Win Three Telly Awards For Special Collaboration Of "American Pie" |url=http://www.enigmaonline.com/2021/08/03/don-mclean-home-free-win-three-telly-awards-for-special-collaboration-of-american-pie/ |website=Enigma Online |access-date=October 23, 2021}}</ref> [[File:Don McLean + Home Free Win Three Telly Awards For Special Collaboration Of “American Pie”.jpg|thumb|right|Don McLean + Home Free Win Three Telly Awards For Special Collaboration Of "American Pie"]]

McLean received a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] on August 16, 2021, in the Music Category at 6314 Hollywood Boulevard, in front of The Pie Hole restaurant (corner of Hollywood and Vine). Joining in the festivities was McLean's friend [["Weird Al" Yankovic]], a fellow Hollywood Walk of Fame recipient.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Don McLean Honored with Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame |url=https://walkoffame.com/press_releases/donmclean/ |website=Hollywood Walk of Fame |access-date=September 13, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Don McLean |url=https://walkoffame.com/donmclean/ |website=Hollywood Walk of Fame |date=August 16, 2021 |access-date=September 13, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcceHp4vaCQ| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/HcceHp4vaCQ| archive-date=December 11, 2021 | url-status=live|title=Don McLean - Live Walk of Fame Ceremony|date=September 13, 2021|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

[[File:DonMcLean-WalkOfFame.jpg|thumb|right|McLean at the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in August 2021]]

In September 2022, McLean received a 50-million record sales plaque from the TV show Good Morning America.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Clash |first1=Jim |title=Don McLean On Record Deals, Fear, Today's Music, The RRHOF, More |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimclash/2022/09/02/don-mclean-on-record-deals-fear-todays-music-the-rrhof-more/?sh=5ff6b7e06bbc |work=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Don McLean receives a 50-million record sales plaque from the TV show Good Morning America.jpg|thumb|Don McLean receives a 50-million record sales plaque from the TV show Good Morning America.]]

On November 22, 2022, McLean was inducted into the [[Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum]] in Nashville, Tennessee.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, Billy Gibbons and more inducted into Musicians Hall of Fame |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/11/23/vince-gill-marty-stuart-and-more-inducted-into-musicians-hall-of-fame/69668341007/ |website=The Tennessean}}</ref>[[File:JPW 1878 DonMcLean HomeFree MHoF awards.tif|thumb|Don McLean's Performance with Home Free at induction ceremony into the Nashville Musicians Hall of Fame.]]

In October 2023, Ritchie Valens' sister, Connie Valens, traveled to Nashville to induct McLean into the [[Music City Walk of Fame]]. "I am so honored to represent the families of Buddy Holly, JP Richardson, and my brother Ritchie Valens," she said. For years, she couldn't listen to her brother's music because "it hurt too much," but she could listen to "American Pie". The previous year, she had met McLean when she was invited to take part in the documentary ''The Day The Music Died''. They gathered at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, where her brother (and Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper) had their last performance before the plane crash. "I thanked Don and told him he had immortalized my brother Ritchie, J.P, and Buddy. He'd taken a terrible tragedy and written rock and roll history." She went on to say that because of McLean, "the music didn't die".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Windsor |first1=Pam |title=Darius Rucker (With Help From Ric Flair), Don McLean & Others Inducted Into Walk Of Fame |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamwindsor/2023/10/05/darius-rucker-with-help-from-ric-flair-don-mclean--others-inducted-into-the-walk-of-fame/?sh=68fa459f3c08 |work=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>[[File:Don McLean inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame.jpg|thumb|Don McLean inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame]] [[File:Don McLean with girlfriend Paris Dylan induction to at the Music City Walk of Fame.jpg|thumb|Don McLean with girlfriend Paris Dylan at the induction into the Music City Walk of Fame]]