Ritchie Valens facts

While investigating facts about Ritchie Valens Brother and Ritchie Valens Donna, I found out little known, but curios details like:

Rock&roll pioneer Ritchie Valens had a fear of flying due to a freak accident where two airplanes collided over his school's playground, killing or injuring many of his friends. He got over this fear due to the demands of his career and subsequently died in a plane crash at the age of 17.

how ritchie valens died?

Musician Ritchie Valens died in a plane crash at age of 17. He recorded his hit "La Bamba" when he was 16.

What year did ritchie valens died?

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering what happened to ritchie valens. Here are 24 of the best facts about Ritchie Valens Death and Ritchie Valens Plane Crash I managed to collect.

what happened to ritchie valens donna?

1. Country music legend Waylon Jennings was the bass player for Buddy Holly's Crickets, and was meant to be on the flight that took Holly's life, but he gave his seat to The Big Bopper, who had the flu. Bandmate Tommy Allsup lost his seat to Ritchie Valens via a coin flip.

2. Tommy Allsup gave up his seat on the flight to Ritchie Valens and Waylon Jennings gave up his seat to J.P. Richardson, also known as The Big Bopper.

3. Waylon Jennings gave up his seat in the plane that would crash and kill Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens and pilot, Roger Peterson. After Buddy teased Waylon about freezing on the unheated tour van, Waylon’s last words to Buddy were, “well, I hope your plane crashes”.

4. The policy of withholding victims' names until after families are informed began due to the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper

5. Ritchie Valens spoke very little Spanish, and learned the lyrics phonetically to record "La Bamba"

6. Ritchie Valens won a coin toss (heads) with Buddy Holly's guitarist, Tommy Allsup, that lead to his death. It was to win the final seat on the plane that crashed and killed him and Buddy Holly. Allsup later opened up a restaurant called "Head's Up".

7. Ritchie Valens' professional career was slightly over 8 months long

8. Waylon Jennings was meant to board the plane that would crash and kill Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson. Instead, he gave up his seat to Richardson and took a bus instead. To this Buddy jokingly said "I hope your ol bus freezes up!", Waylon replied "I hope your ol plane crashes!"

9. The guitarist Ritchie Valens who died in 'the Day the Music Died' plane crash had taken his seat after winning a coin toss with the guitarist Tommy Allsup

Why did ritchie valens change his name?

You can easily fact check it by examining the linked well-known sources.

In 1957 a mid air collision over Pacoima Junior High killed 5 crew members, 3 children and injured 78. Missing that day was pop star Ritchie Valens. He developed an intense fear of flying and died in a plane crash 2 years later

Ritchie Valens won a coin toss (heads) with Buddy Holly's guitarist, Tommy Allsup, get the final seat on a 4-seat plane to the next venue that crashed and killed everyone on board. Tommy Allsup later opened a restaurant on Fort Worth called "Heads Up". - source

Ritchie Valens was actually left-handed but was taught to play right-handed on the guitar. - source

Before dying in the same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens had a fear of flying that stemmed from missing a mid-air collision that killed two students in his junior high school playground

The term "The Day the Music Died" (the plane crash killing Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens) wasn't coined after the actual 1959 plane crash, but comes from Don McLean's 1971 song "American Pie". - source

When ritchie valens died?

Ritchie Valens had a fear of flying after two airplanes collided over his junior high school playground, killing and injuring some of his friends.

How old was ritchie valens when he died?

This song is about the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. Richardson and gave the day the nickname everyone commonly knows it by.

On the same day Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson) were killed in a plane crash, a much bigger crash happened killing over 50 at La Guardia airport. The story was front page news in the New York Times, and the Holly crash appeared on page 66.

Waylon Jennings gave his seat to the Big Bopper on the flight that also killed Buddy Holly, and Ritchie Valens. Before they left Jennings jokingly told Holly that "I hope your ol' plane crashes"