Ritchie Valens Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement. He also had the American number 2 hit ''Donna''. 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. Valens was born Richard Steven Valenzuela in Pacoima, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. His parents, Joseph Valenzuela (1896–1952)
Three Stars (song) Three Stars (song) "Three Stars" is a song written by Tommy Dee in 1959, as a tribute to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper), who died in a plane crash earlier that year. The song was recorded by Tommy Dee with Carol Kay and first released on April 5, 1959, by Crest Records. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. The lyrics suggested the three "stars" represent the three musicians that died in the crash. A year after Eddie Cochran recorded the song, he died in a car accident on his