The Day the Music Died unveiled at the crash site. A large plasma-cut steel set of Wayfarer-style glasses similar to those Holly wore sits at the access point to the crash site. 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. The Day the Music Died On February 3, 1959, American rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, together with pilot Roger Peterson. The event later became known as "The Day
The Big Bopper fatal plane crash, Tommy Dee wrote and recorded a song titled "Three Stars" in tribute to Richardson, Holly, and Valens. It was later recorded by Eddie Cochran, a friend of the three musicians who himself would die prematurely a year later in an automobile crash. Van Halen's song "Good Enough" from their 1986 album "5150" begins with singer Sammy Hagar calling out "Hello Baby!", imitating the Big Bopper's hook in "Chantilly Lace". Phil Lewis of L.A. Guns does the same in their song "17 Crash" from their 1989 album "Cocked & Loaded". The "Simpsons" episode "Sideshow Bob Roberts" features a