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Roger Peterson grave.

Grave of the Pilot Who Killed Music

Field review by the editors.

Storm Lake, Iowa

Most fans of rock 'n' roll know of the plane crash that killed early rockers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper. The 1959 crash site in an Iowa farm field is still a pilgrimage destination for fans mourning "The Day the Music Died."

There was a another casualty in that field as well: the 21-year-old pilot, Roger Peterson. His lack of flying skill was generally blamed for the death of everybody (and music), so not many rock fans go out of their way to visit his grave. But it's still an important spot, and his simple headstone, flush with the ground, does have on it a little engraving of a small airplane.

Grave of the Pilot Who Killed Music

Buena Vista Memorial Park Cemetery

Address:
Hwy 7, Storm Lake, IA
Directions:
Buena Vista Memorial Park Cemetery. On the west edge of town, on the north side of Hwy 7. The grave is just inside the cemetery's main entrance, on the right. It's a small stone, flush with the grass, with Roger Peterson's name, dates or birth and death, and an image of the infamous plane.
Admission:
Free
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