You were 19 at … On the first anniversary of Ritchie’s death, Ritchie’s mother wanted to honor his memory. In the early morning hours of February 3, 1959, a small aircraft carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson crashed … “Hell, I had as much star quality as an old shoe. Valens had several hits, most notably "La Bamba", which he had adapted from a Mexican folk song.Valens transformed the song into one with a rock rhythm and beat, and it became a hit in 1958, making Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement. Morales, the older brother of famed musician Ritchie Valens, was an icon in his own right. Ritchie Valens In 1958, the son of a factory worker from Pacoima, a tough Mexican neighborhood in LA’s San Fernando Valley, rose out of the barrio and into the national spotlight. But an autopsy confirmed he died as a result of massive internal injuries. The three rockers' deaths … Ritchie's 18th Birthday . The three rockers' deaths … The ceremony was … Ritchie Valens' mother died in 1987. The … Holly, Valens and Richardson died with 21-year-old pilot Roger Peterson when the plane crashed in the Iowa countryside in snowy conditions. Thomas D. … Valens is credited with being a pioneer of rock and … His parents, Joseph Steve and Concepción (Reyes) Valenzuela, were working at a munitions plant at the time of his birth. Eerily enough, it was known that Ritchie had a tremendous fear of flying after witnessing two planes collide when he was younger. When he was three years old his parents separated, and young Richard Valenzuela spent the next several years with his father. The elder Valenzuela held a number of different jobs—tree surgeon, miner, and horse trainer among them—and int… Later, this day became known as “The Day the Music Died,” after the lyrics in Don McLean’s 1971 song “American Pie.” “Buddy was the first guy who had confidence in me,” Jennings told CMT . Autopsyfiles.org - Ritchie Valens Autopsy Report Author: Autopsyfiles.org Subject: Autopsyfiles.org - Ritchie Valens Autopsy Report Keywords: Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, autopsy report, autopsies, celebrity deaths, celebrity autopsies, famous deaths Created Date: 4/5/2009 5:05:37 PM He died from diabetes complications in 2002. Losing Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper on Feb. 3, 1959, was so tragic that it has become immortalized in song and is now known as "the day the music died." In late January 1959 Ritchie Valens joined Buddy Holly, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson and "Dion and the Belmonts" for the 'Winter Dance Party' which was a tour of the upper Midwest. ", a black wool cloth suit containing inside, the coat label "Sohel's, San Fernando Cal. Also on board were Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper. He was 87. "It took them eight days to send Ritchie's body back from Iowa. He was 81. After Valens' death, the family stayed out of the public eye, though they did work closely with producers of "La Bamba." Bob Keane, who founded the West Coast independent label Del-Fi Records in the 1950s and is best known for discovering and recording rock legend Ritchie Valens, has died. In an eight month career he scored three hits with 'Come On Let's Go', 'Donna' and 'La Bamba' before being killed in an air crash on February 3rd 1959 which also took the lives of … On February 2, 1959 the 'Winter Dance Party' arrived in Clear Lake, Iowa to play a dance at the Surf Ball Room. Ritche Valens "The day the music died" 1959 Rosie Morales Lived with Ritchie and his Ritchie always had a crush on her but she loved Bob Ritchie's: pin. ", a white shirt and underclothing. Many might remember Morales as portrayed by actor Esai Morales — no relation — in the 1987 film “La Bamba,” the biopic about Valens’ life. He also had an American number 2 hit with ''Donna''. On Feb 2, 1959, 17-year-old Ritchie died in a plane crash, along with Buddy Holly and J.P. "The Big Bopper." Ritchie, the 'California Kid' was from a family of poverty stricken fruit pickers and was the first rock star to originate from the West Coast and one of the innovators of 'Latino rock. Four lives were lost on that cold winter night near Clear Lake, Iowa: the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, and Roger Peterson, the pilot that was supposed to take them to Fargo. In 1959, a plane with The Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly crashed while you all were on the Winter Dance Party tour, killing all three stars and the pilot. Richie Valens Richard Steven Valenzuela died in a plane crash in Iowa in February 1959, aged 17. Richardson died in the same plane crash that killed fellow musicians Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, and the pilot, Roger Peterson. On the volar surface of the right forearm was a dark tatoo of initials "R.V." Ritchie Valens was born in Pacoima, California in May 1941 and passed away in February 1959. Ritchie Valens was born Richard Steven Valenzuela on May 13, 1941, and grew up in the San Fernando Valley suburb of Pacioma, California. Flying with him was 17-year-old Ritchie Valens was just 17 and DJ JP Richardson, known as The Big Bopper. Holly, Valens, the Big Bopper (J. P. Richardson) and the pilot, Roger Peterson, died when the plane crashed in the Iowa countryside. Ritchie Valens (born May 13, 1941, in Los Angeles, California) was a famous Latino teen idol and pioneer of the Chicano rock movement of the 1950s and 60s before his untimely death alongside Buddy Holly and J.P. Richardson in a plane crash on February 3, 1959 — a day that would later be remembered as "The Day the Music Died." Ritchie Valens. The third crash victim was Ritchie Valens, born Richard Valenzuela in a suburb of Los Angeles, who was only 17 when the plane went down but had already scored hits with “Come On, … Holly, Valens and Richardson died with 21-year-old pilot Roger Peterson when the plane crashed in the Iowa countryside in snowy conditions. Valens’ friends formed the Ritchie Valens Recognition Committee and raised the $3,500 for installation of the star on Hollywood Boulevard. In the early morning hours of February 3, 1959, a private plane carrying musicians J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, Ritchie Valens, and Buddy Holly (most famous for founding The Crickets) crashed outside of Clear Lake, Iowa, killing all on board. When Valens died, his first album hadn't even been released yet (though the film shows Keane giving them out at record hops). His siblings, including one older brother, two younger sisters and a younger brother, were living in California and Nevada. The body of Richard Valenuela was clothed in a black wool cloth overcoat containing a label "Harris & Drank, Los Angeles, Cal. Ritchie Valens. Ritchie Valens died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959, in Mason City, Iowa, and the country lost one of its most talented singers. The wreckage of the plane crash that killed rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper on February 3, 1959, outside of Clear Lake, … He had four siblings, most notably his older brother, Bob Morales, who was portrayed as a bike riding enthusiast in the 1987 movie, La Bamba.