Editing The Day the Music Died (section)

==Legacy==
=== Policy ===
A policy not to report on a person's death until their family had been notified was implemented by authorities in the months after María Elena Holly suffered her miscarriage due to the psychological trauma of hearing about her husband's death on television for the first time.<ref name="Suddath2">{{Cite magazine |last=Suddath |first=Claire |date=February 3, 2009 |title=The Day the Music Died |url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1876542,00.html |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205112819/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1876542,00.html |archive-date=2009-02-05 |access-date=2015-04-29}}</ref>

=== Memorials ===
A memorial service for Peterson was held at Redeemer Lutheran Church in [[Ventura, Iowa]], on February 5. A funeral was held the next day at St. Paul Lutheran Church in his hometown of [[Alta, Iowa|Alta]]; Peterson was buried in Buena Vista Memorial Cemetery in nearby [[Storm Lake, Iowa|Storm Lake]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=Feb 4, 1959 |title=Plane Crash Victim Rites at Ventura - Obituary of Roger A. Peterson |pages=20 |work=The Globe Gazette |agency=LE |location=(Iowa) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/2270950/?fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjIyNzA5NTAsImlhdCI6MTY3NjA1MDI5MCwiZXhwIjoxNjc2MTM2NjkwfQ.5vM-Iwat28hlne4kYVDXjyoPmPaqsZCyE11o1xGjCvY&article=9d3bf217-f2e0-404d-ab4f-2ff07ae697e2 |access-date=February 10, 2023 |archive-date=February 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230210182539/https://www.newspapers.com/image/2270950/?fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjIyNzA5NTAsImlhdCI6MTY3NjA1MDI5MCwiZXhwIjoxNjc2MTM2NjkwfQ.5vM-Iwat28hlne4kYVDXjyoPmPaqsZCyE11o1xGjCvY&article=9d3bf217-f2e0-404d-ab4f-2ff07ae697e2 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Films ===
* The accident closes the biographical film ''[[The Buddy Holly Story]]'' ([[1978 in film|1978]]); the film ends as the Clear Lake concert concludes, and a freeze-frame shot is followed with a caption revealing their deaths later that night "...and the rest is Rock 'N Roll."
* The run-up to the accident (which happens entirely off-camera) and its aftermath, particularly the reactions of Ritchie Valens' immediate family and loved ones, are depicted in the Valens biopic ''[[La Bamba (film)|La Bamba]]'' ([[1987 in film|1987]]).

=== Memorial concerts ===
Fans of Holly, Valens, and Richardson have been gathering for annual memorial concerts at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake since 1979.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.surfballroom.com/wdp-history.html |title=Winter Dance Party History |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204123507/http://www.surfballroom.com/wdp-history.html |archive-date=February 4, 2012 |publisher=Surf Ballroom}}</ref> The fiftieth anniversary concert took place on February 2, 2009, with [[Delbert McClinton]], [[Joe Ely]], [[Wanda Jackson]], [[Los Lobos]], [[Chris Montez]], [[Bobby Vee]], [[Graham Nash]], [[Peter and Gordon]], Tommy Allsup, and a house band featuring [[Chuck Leavell]], [[James "Hutch" Hutchinson]], [[Bobby Keys]], and [[Kenny Aronoff]]. Jay Perry Richardson, the son of the Big Bopper, was among the participating artists, and Bob Hale was the master of ceremonies, as he was at the 1959 concert.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jon |last=Bream |date=February 3, 2009 |url=http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1604190/fans-pack-surf-ballroom-for-tribute-to-buddy-holly-ritchie-valens-and-the-big-bopper.jhtml |title=Fans Pack Surf Ballroom for Tribute to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper |publisher=CMT News |access-date=February 2, 2013 |archive-date=November 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130202122/http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1604190/fans-pack-surf-ballroom-for-tribute-to-buddy-holly-ritchie-valens-and-the-big-bopper.jhtml |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Joe |last=Coffey |date=February 5, 2009 |url=http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/Daily/News/Holly_Valens_Richardson_Remembered_50_Winters_Later.aspx |title=Holly, Valens, Richardson Remembered: 50 Winters Later |work=Premier Guitar |access-date=February 2, 2013 |archive-date=April 15, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415151340/http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/Daily/News/Holly_Valens_Richardson_Remembered_50_Winters_Later.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Monuments ===
In June 1988, a {{convert|4|ft|adj=on}} tall [[granite]] memorial bearing the names of Peterson and the three entertainers was dedicated outside the Surf Ballroom with Peterson's widow, parents, and sister in attendance; the event marked the first time that the families of Holly, Richardson, Valens, and Peterson had gathered together.

In 1989, Ken Paquette, a Wisconsin fan of the 1950s era, made a stainless-steel monument that depicts a guitar and a set of three [[gramophone record|records]] bearing the names of the three performers killed in the accident.{{sfn|Lehmer|2004|p=342}} The monument is on private farmland, about {{convert|1/4|mi|ft yd m|abbr=on}} west of the intersection of 315th Street and Gull Avenue, {{convert|5|mi|0|spell=in}} north of Clear Lake. At that intersection, a large plasma-cut steel set of [[Ray-Ban Wayfarer|Wayfarer]]-style glasses, similar to those Holly wore, marks the access point to the crash site.<ref name=Advertiser>{{cite news |first=Kyle |last=Munson |url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/local/kyle-munson/2016/02/04/rip-jerry-dwyer-man-haunted-buddy-holly-crash/79711056/ |title=RIP Jerry Dwyer, a man haunted by the Buddy Holly crash |newspaper=The Des Moines Register |date=February 4, 2016 |access-date=October 2, 2018}}</ref>

Paquette created a similar stainless-steel monument to the three musicians located outside the [[Riverside Ballroom]] in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where Holly, Richardson, and Valens played their penultimate show on <!--the night of-->February 1<!--, 1959-->. This second memorial was unveiled on July 17, 2003.<ref name="Jordan">{{cite web |first=Jennifer |last=Jordan |url=http://www.articlestree.com/music/the-day-the-music-died-tx390707.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120207001836/http://www.articlestree.com/music/the-day-the-music-died-tx390707.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 7, 2012 |title=The Day the Music Died |work=Articles Tree |date=April 11, 2007 |access-date=January 30, 2009}}</ref> In February 2009, a further memorial made by Paquette for Peterson was unveiled at the crash site.<ref name="Naughton">{{cite news |first=Jennifer |last=Jordan |title=Memorial to Buddy Holly pilot dedicated at crash site |work=The Des Moines Register |date=February 2, 2009 |url=http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090202/BUDDYHOLLY/90202032/1001/NEWS |access-date=April 14, 2009}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Surf Ballroom Monument.jpg|Monument in front of the [[Surf Ballroom]] in [[Clear Lake, Iowa]]
File:GlassesSign.jpg|alt=A sculpture consisting of two white posts holding a black spectacles frame in Buddy Holly's characteristic style|Signpost east of the<!-- Clear Lake--> crash site replicating Holly's signature glasses. The crash site is actually located {{convert|1,850|feet|yd m|0}} from this location, down the path along the fence line.
File:CrashSiteClearLakeIowa.JPG|Memorial<!--marking--> at crash site, 2024
File:Buddy Holley's Pilot.JPG|Memorial<!--marking--> to pilot Roger Peterson at crash site
</gallery>

=== Roads ===
A road originating near the Surf Ballroom, extending north and passing to the west of the crash site, is now known as Buddy Holly Place.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/351 |title=Clear Lake, Iowa: Buddy Holly Crash Site |publisher=RoadsideAmerica.com |access-date=June 25, 2011 |archive-date=June 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623164433/http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/351 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Songs ===
{{Listen |filename=Don McLean - American Pie.ogg|title="American Pie" |description=The song "[[American Pie (song)|American Pie]]" dubbed the accident "The Day The Music Died"}}
* [[Tommy Dee]] recorded "[[Three Stars (song)|Three Stars]]" (1959), commemorating the musicians.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.songfacts.com/facts/tommy-dee/three-stars |title=Three Stars by Tommy Dee |access-date=January 12, 2020 |archive-date=January 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112103524/https://www.songfacts.com/facts/tommy-dee/three-stars |url-status=live }}</ref>
* In 1961, [[Mike Berry (singer)|Mike Berry]] recorded "[[Tribute to Buddy Holly]]", which describes the night of the flight.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Cleveland|first1=Barry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SHpLAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Tribute+to+Buddy+Holly%22+%22mike+berry%22|title=Creative Music Production: Joe Meek's Bold Techniques|last2=Meek|first2=Joe|date=2001|publisher=Mix Books|isbn=978-1-931140-08-9|language=en|access-date=October 3, 2020|archive-date=May 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502182025/https://books.google.com/books?id=SHpLAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Tribute+to+Buddy+Holly%22+%22mike+berry%22|url-status=live}}</ref> It reached number 24 on the [[UK Singles Chart]] and was notoriously banned by the [[BBC]] for being "too morbid".<ref>{{Cite web|title=a tribute to buddy holly {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/a-tribute-to-buddy-holly/|access-date=2020-06-26|website=www.officialcharts.com|language=en|archive-date=June 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626065738/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/a-tribute-to-buddy-holly/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Roberts|first=David|title=''British Hit Singles & Albums'' (19th ed.)|publisher=London: Guinness World Records Limited|year=2006|isbn=1-904994-10-5|pages=55}}</ref>
* [[Don McLean]], a fan of Buddy Holly, addressed the accident in his song "[[American Pie (song)|American Pie]]" (1971), dubbing it "the Day the Music Died",{{sfn|Crouse|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=OyZyWKcmRhEC&pg=PT86 86]|2012}} which for McLean symbolized the "loss of innocence" of the early rock-and-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>
* In 1978, [[Waylon Jennings]] briefly added his own memories of the incident onto his song "A Long Time Ago", from the album ''[[I've Always Been Crazy]]''. He sings the lines "Don't ask me who I gave my seat to on that plane, I think you already know, I told you that a long time ago."
* Dion recorded "Hug My Radiator" which references the "broken-down bus" and the chilling cold the performers experienced on the tour. The song does not directly reference the three performers who died, but Dion has said, in interviews,<ref>{{cite web |title = Dion: The Wanderer Returns |work = Record Collector |date = December 28, 2006 |url = https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/dion-the-wanderer-peturns |access-date = June 28, 2020 |archive-date = June 29, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200629180445/https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/dion-the-wanderer-peturns |url-status = live }}</ref> that the song is a memory of the tour and that he almost got on the airplane that crashed, but it was too expensive.
* In 1985, German punk rock band Die Ärzte released their second album ''[[Im Schatten der Ärzte]]'', which includes the song ''Buddy Holly's Brille''. In their trademark humorous fashion, they address the accident by asking where Holly's glasses ended up.

=== Fiction ===
[[Howard Waldrop]]'s short story "Save a Place in the Lifeboat for Me" (collected in ''[[Howard Who?]]'') describes a fictional attempt by a sextet of famous [[slapstick]] characters ([[Chico Marx|Chico]] and [[Harpo Marx]], [[Abbott and Costello]], and [[Laurel and Hardy]]) to prevent the accident from occurring.<ref>{{cite book|last=Waldrop|first=Howard|title=Howard Who?|publisher=Doubleday|date=1986|isbn=0-385-19708-X|chapter=Notes on Stories|pages=[https://archive.org/details/howardwhotwelveo00wald/page/241 241]|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/howardwhotwelveo00wald/page/241}}</ref>

[[TJ Klune]]'s 2020 fantasy novel ''The House in the Cerulean Sea'' features an orphaned antichrist, Lucy, who collects records of Holly, the Big Bopper, and Valens, and discusses the crash with the protagonist, Linus.