63 years ago, a plane crash claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens. At the time of his death, Buddy Holly was only 22-years-old and newly married. What happened to his wife after he passed away?
Maria Elena Santiago met Buddy Holly two months before they married in August 1958. The two were rarely apart, with Maria accompanying her husband to his shows. But, that changed in late January when the couple found out they were expecting their first child and Buddy insisted she stay home to rest.
“He said, ‘Honey, it’s just going to be two weeks. I don’t want you to get sick and lose our baby.’ Still, I had my suitcases all beside the door,” Maria recalled, adding that she regrets not insisting on joining him for the trip. “I know as a fact, he would have never, never [taken a plane]. I would have taken over and found new transportation,” said Maria, who was terrified of flying in small planes.
