Jiles Perry "J. P." Richardson Jr., born October 24th, 1930, Sabine Pass, Texas, U.S, known as The Big Bopper, was a musician, singer, songwriter and radio DJ, whose rockabilly look, style, voice, and exuberant personality made him an early rock 'n' roll star. He's best known for his 1958 recording of "Chantilly Lace." On February 3rd, 1959, Richardson died in a plane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa, along with fellow rockstars Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens and pilot Roger Peterson. The accident was famously referred to as "The Day the Music Died" in Don McLean's 1971 song "American Pie."