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They were 22-year-old Buddy Holly, Jiles P Richardson, known as the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens who was 17.
Buddy Holly's popularity increased after his death - he inspired many world famous bands and singers from the Beatles and Bob Dylan to the Hollies and his influence continues to this day.
Here are some of your memories of a rock 'n' roll icon.
I was 12 years old, just getting into "rock and roll".
Buddy Holly was very big. I lived in the San Fernando Valley, of California at the time.
It happened to be the home of Ritchie Valens. He was somewhat of a local star.
The Big Bopper's Chantilly Lace was a favourite of mine also.
My recollection was that Buddy was a bigger star than the others. I believe he had more hits.
"American Pie" was the name of the airplane they died in. I felt ripped off that they died.
Jack Pollock, USA
I was a DJ in Butte, Montana, USA when Holly died.
It was very sad, and his music today is still as great as in 1959.
Terry Bass, USA
This was well before the days of round-the-clock news.
I only heard about it when I got to school. The school colours were green, black and white.
A classmate was busy inking out the white stripe in his tie - and when I asked him why he told me...
Andy Wood, UK
I was quite young at the time of the tragedy, but was living in Fargo and my older brother was stuck bringing me to what was to be my first live concert.
When the announcement was made that Buddy's plane had crashed, the crowd was devastated.
Bobby Vee, a friend of my brother, went on stage to play in Buddy's place.
I'm sure it was not easy for him, but Bobby Vee later became a rock and roll star in his own right.
Dick Roesler, USA
I recall it happened on a weekend.
I came home from high school basketball game and heard the news. It crushed me because Buddy Holly, and Ritchie Valens were my favourites at the time.
Roger Barisdale, USA
My husband is from Clear Lake, Iowa where Buddy Holly had his last concert and where the plane crashed.
I went last summer to see the crash site to find out that the farmer who recently purchased the land has removed the memorial and no longer allows visitors access to the site.
I think that is a shame.
Jackie Hill, USA
I was in conversation with Dion who was also on the tour. He was offered a seat on the plane and talked to his Mom and Dad about flying because of the cold.
It was that cold and everyone had colds and the chills.
Dion turned down the offer of the seat. It was going to cost a month's rent money to buy the ticket so he decided to take the bus.
The best decision he ever made.
Nick Ashton, USA
I was 12 years old at the time of the death of Buddy Holly.
Our school was connected with Morehead State College.
We were the school where students learned to teach. So we were allowed to go to the grill at the college.
My friends and I were sitting in the grill drinking a coke and someone came in and said that Buddy Holly had been killed in a plane crash.
Everyone started crying and playing his music. It is a time that will remain in my mind forever. It was the first time I had ever heard of someone that famous and big being killed.
Also, seeing all of the college students crying. It was just unusual to me.
I was 13 years old and living in Swansea. We'd just moved into a new house which was still being worked on, so I was staying with my grandmother. This meant walking to school by a different route.
It was a cold day with snow flurries. Before reaching school I had to pass a building site and I can remember the snow lying where the wind had blown it against the piles of builders' sand.
Ahead of me was a small group of boys and I could hear one of them telling the others that Buddy Holly had been killed. The rest of that day is a total blank.
I'd been a Buddy Holly fan since I'd first heard him. And I am still.
Royston Jones, Wales
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