María Elena Holly on January 27, 1959. In the early morning hours of February 3, 1959, Buddy Holly was on tour when he, together with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper, died in an airplane crash. Holly and Santiago had been married for only six months at the time of his death. She learned of his death from the reports on television. A widow after only six months of marriage, she suffered a miscarriage shortly after, reportedly due to "psychological trauma". Buddy was interred in Lubbock. Santiago-Holly did not attend the funeral and has never visited the grave site. She told the "Avalanche-Journal":
Buddy Holly: Listen to Me; The Ultimate Buddy Party Others, such as Keith Richards, Ringo Starr, Jackson Browne, shared memories via video message. Buddy's widow Maria Elena Holly, seated beside Phil Everly was in attendance, singing along with every song. The event was also filmed for a PBS pledge drive special featured throughout USA during December 2011 and May/June 2012. Buddy Holly: Listen to Me; The Ultimate Buddy Party Buddy Holly: Listen to Me; The Ultimate Buddy Party is a recording of the event held on September 7, 2011, to celebrate on would have been Buddy Holly's 75th birthday Buddy's birthday, while supporting fundraising for PBS. Produced by Songmasters,