Buddy Holly dies

3 February 1959: Number 4 in our series of the 50 key events in the history of rock musicBuddy Holly was very important to Britain; he was almost single-handedly responsible for the sound and look of the Mersey groups. He was a new kind of hero, and he packed an indecent amount into his 22 years. For a start, he didn't look like a pop star, lacking the Hollywood gloss or weirdness of his contemporaries. In spite of this, he was defiant and narcissistic – he wanted the world and, pretty muc...

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