On February 3 , 1959 , on what has become known as " The Day the Music Died " , Valens died in a plane crash in Iowa , an accident that also claimed the lives of fellow musicians Buddy Holly and J. P. " The Big Bopper " Richardson , as well as pilot Roger Peterson . Valens was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001
The Day the Music Died
The Day the Music Died
Ritchie Valens