02/04/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/1LTqCAPxS5/?mibextid=wwXIfr
On this date, February 3, 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J. P. Richardson, and pilot Roger Peterson were killed when their Beechcraft Bonanza crashed shortly after takeoff near Clear Lake, Iowa.
The flight had departed Mason City Municipal Airport (MCW) following a Winter Dance Party tour stop, attempting to outrun brutal weather and a punishing bus schedule.
Investigators later cited poor weather, night conditions, and pilot disorientation as factors in the crash.
The loss of three rising stars of early rock and roll at just 22, 17, and 28 years old sent shockwaves through American music.
Don McLean would later immortalize the tragedy as “The Day the Music Died.”
