NOT FADE AWAY
Buddy Holly’s Glasses
A fascinating case of lost and found twice
Charles Hardin Holley, better known to the world as Buddy Holly, was born this day (September 7) in 1936. Had that tragic plane crash not claimed his life, he would be 85 years old today.
While, sadly, he may have had a very short career, his influence on rock and roll was immeasurable.
Of course, while everyone knows who Buddy Holly was and what happened to him now, some 52 years ago, and everyone is familiar with his signature thick-framed glasses, many don’t know the story of what happened to them.
Around 1:00 am on February 3, 1959, the 4-seat airplane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. Richardson (“the Big Bopper,”), and pilot Roger Peterson crashed into a frozen cornfield in rural Iowa. Inclement weather was ultimately blamed for the tragedy.
All 4 men were killed instantly.
Their bodies and personal belongings were scattered across the landscape, and though emergency crews recovered everything they could find, the cornfield was also covered in snow, so they missed several items. Holly's famous glasses were included in the list of items they could not find.
