Musicians We Lost in Air Crashes
This is a list of musicians who passed away in air crashes, often at the heights of their careers. (Numbers next to the names indicate their age.)
"The Day the Music Died" (Feb 3, 1959)
Buddy Holly (22), Ritchie Valens (17), and The Big Bopper (28)
The Crash: Their chartered Beechcraft Bonanza crashed into an Iowa cornfield shortly after taking off in a snowstorm. The pilot, also killed, was not qualified for instrument-only flight.
The flight was a last-minute decision to avoid a freezing tour bus with a broken heater.
Waylon Jennings (Holly’s bassist) gave his seat to The Big Bopper, who had the flu. Valens won his seat from guitarist Tommy Allsup on a fateful coin toss.
Holly’s last words to Jennings were a joke: "I hope your ol' bus freezes up!" Jennings replied, "I hope your ol' plane crashes"—a joke that haunted him for life.
The tragedy was memorialized in the lyrics of the song “American Pie” (1971), written by Don McLean.
The R&B Icon (Aug 25, 2001)
The Crash: Her Cessna 402B crashed and burst into flames moments after takeoff in the Bahamas. It was overloaded by roughly 700–900 lbsand carrying one extra passenger beyond its limit.
Aaliyah reportedly didn't want to get on the small plane. One account claims she was given a sedative for a headache and carried on while unconscious.
The pilot was later found to have had cocaine and alcohol in his system and had falsified his flight hours to get his license.
The Soul Legend (Dec 10, 1967)
The Crash: His private Beechcraft H18 plunged into the freezing waters of Lake Monona, Wisconsin, just four miles from the runway in heavy fog and rain.
Redding died just three days after recording his masterpiece, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay".
Four members of his backing band, The Bar-Kays, also died. Trumpeter Ben Cauley was the sole survivor; he woke up as the plane spun and survived by clinging to a seat cushion in the icy water.
The Guitar Virtuoso (Aug 27, 1990)
The Crash: His helicopter crashed into a ski hill in dense fog shortly after departing a concert at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in Wisconsin.
Vaughan had just performed an encore with Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy.
He took the seat originally intended for Clapton's tour manager.
The Folk & Country Legends
John Denver (53) — Oct 12, 1997
The Crash: His experimental Rutan Long-EZ plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean. He was unable to reach the fuel selector valve to switch tanks.
Trivia: Ironically, his first major songwriting hit was "Leaving on a Jet Plane".
Jim Croce (30) — Sep 20, 1973
The Crash: His plane clipped the only large pecan tree in the area during takeoff in Louisiana.
Trivia: He died just as his career was exploding; his song "Time in a Bottle" became a #1 hit only after his death.
Patsy Cline (30) — Mar 5, 1963
The Crash: Her private plane crashed in severe weather in a Tennessee forest while returning from a benefit concert.
Trivia: She was the first female solo artist inducted into the Country
Southern Rock Tragedy (Oct 20, 1977)
Ronnie Van Zant (29), Steve Gaines (28), and Cassie Gaines (29) (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
The Crash: Their Convair CV-240 ran out of fuel and crashed in a Mississippi swamp.
Trivia: Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant frequently told friends he didn't expect to live to see 30. He died 87 days before his 30th birthday.
Steve and Cassie Gaines were brother and sister.
The Teen Idol (Dec 31, 1985)
The Crash: His chartered Douglas DC-3 caught fire in-flight and crashed in a cow pasture in Texas while traveling to a New Year's Eve concert.
The fire was caused by a faulty cabin heater.
Initial rumors falsely claimed the fire was started by passengers freebasing cocaine; these were later debunked by investigators.
Nelson was the first child star to successfully transition into a massive rock and roll career, famously performing on his family’s TV show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
The King of Tango (June 24, 1935)
The Crash: Two Ford Trimotor planes collided on the runway during takeoff in Medellín, Colombia.
Gardel is a near-mythical figure in Argentina; fans often say, "Gardel sings better every day," implying his recordings only improve with age.
He was allegedly shot in the chest during a street brawl in 1915; the bullet remained in his lung for the rest of his life.
The Swing Era Giant (Dec 15, 1944)
The Crash: His plane disappeared over the English Channel during WWII while traveling to entertain troops in Paris.
Because no wreckage was ever found, his disappearance remains one of the great mysteries of the 20th century.
He was a Major in the U.S. Army and was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star.
La Diva de la Banda (Dec 9, 2012)
The Crash: Her private Learjet 25 plummeted 28,000 feet in 30 seconds, crashing into a mountain in northern Mexico.
The last photo of Rivera was a "selfie" taken by her makeup artist inside the plane just minutes before the crash.
She was the first female voice in the male-dominated "Banda" genre to speak openly about domestic violence and single motherhood.
The Eurodance Voice (Nov 24, 2001)
The Crash: Her flight crashed into a forest near Zurich during a landing attempt in poor weather.
As the lead singer of La Bouche, she voiced the 90s hits "Sweet Dreams" and "Be My Lover."
Two members of the pop group Passion Fruit were also killed in the same accident.
Gentleman Jim (July 31, 1964)
The Crash: Reeves was piloting his own plane when he encountered a violent thunderstorm and crashed just outside Nashville.
It took a two-day search by fellow country stars like Chet Atkins and Ernest Tubb to find the wreckage.
Reeves actually hated the accordion; it only appears on one of his songs because his producer convinced him a polka "wouldn't be a polka without it."
The Cinematic Master (June 22, 2015)
The Crash: An experienced pilot, Horner crashed his private turboprop plane while performing low-level maneuvers in a remote California forest.
He won two Oscars for Titanic—one for the score and one for the song "My Heart Will Go On."
Horner often integrated Celtic musical elements and wordless female vocals into his world-famous scores.