Fifty years after the music died, the myths live on.
Like most famous rock 'n' roll tragedies, the deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. (Big Bopper) Richardson near Clear Lake, Iowa, on Feb. 3, 1959 has spawned its share of legends, weird tales and mysteries.
Here are four you might have heard already -- and one you probably haven't:
1) The Shot
In this version, a gun in Holly's possession was discharged during the flight, killing or disabling the young pilot and causing the crash. The tale -- which grew to include rumours of a bullet hole being found in the pilot's seat -- started after the discovery of Holly's pistol near the crash site, but there's never been any evidence to support it.
2) The Survivor
Since Richardson's body was found farther away from the rest of the wreckage than the others, rumours persisted that he had somehow survived the crash and was trying to summon help. It gained enough traction that in 2007, his son Jay Richardson had his body exhumed and examined by a forensic pathologist -- who concluded that the singer sustained massive fractures from head to toe and died immediately.
3) The Casket
Earlier this year, reports surfaced that Richardson's son planned to auction his father's old casket on eBay. After much public outcry, he publicly backed away from the idea, saying it was only one of several options, which also included donating it to a museum, crushing it or dumping it in the ocean.
4) The Plane
It was NOT called American Pie.
5) The Son
When Holly died, his widow Maria was a few weeks pregnant. She miscarried shortly after, history tells us. But one Winnipeg rockabilly musician tells a different story. Shawn Farrell of The Farrell Brothers met Maria when he and his brother Gordie played at the annual Winter Dance Party Tribute Concert in Clear Lake in 1997.
"We basically got to hang out with her for the whole weekend," recalls Farrell.
The whole time, he adds, she was accompanied by a younger man who looked "just like Buddy Holly. We didn't know if it was a boyfriend or what, and we didn't want to ask."
Later, he says, they were told that the man was actually Buddy and Maria's son -- the miscarriage story was a ruse, and Maria gave birth to a healthy baby boy she managed to raise in secret.
Of course, that doesn't explain why she brought him along to a colossal gathering of her late husband's fans.
