3 Forever Artists Who Died Too Soon in the 1950s

Death is not an easy subject to discuss. To see someone you love or a hero die always feel like a tragedy, even though it is an inevitable fact of life. But the idea is especially hard to swallow when that person passes away too soon. When life is snatched away from years or even decades before it should, by any right.

Here below, we wanted to explore the lives of three essential artists from the mid-20th century, each of whom left the Earth many years before they should have. As a result, the music-loving community was deprived of perhaps 100 years of songs between them. These are three forever artists who died too soon in the 1950s.

[RELATED: 8 Rock Artists Who Left Us Too Soon]

Buddy Holly (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959)

In the 1950s, the biggest name in rock and roll music was Elvis Presley. But that may have been because he was without a signature rival. Like Michael Jordan losing out on playing against a player like Len Bias in the NBA, Presley never had to contend with Buddy Holly, who passed away at just 22 years old in February 3, 1959. Born on September 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas, Charles Hardin Holley had a natural, easy way about him. He was smooth where Elvis was brash. And during his time, Holly wrote or recorded some of the most inspiring early rock hits, including “That’ll Be the Day” in 1956, and “Peggy Sue” and “Everyday” in 1957. Sadly, Holly (and Ritchie Valens, below) died in a plane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa. His death was immortalized in the song “The Day the Music Died,” by Don McLean. Still, Holly remains an influence to artists like Paul McCartney, Elton John, and Eric Clapton.

Ritchie Valens (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959)

Like Holly, the California-born Ritchie Valens died in the Iowa plane crash, along with J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and pilot Roger Peterson. Amazingly, at the time, Valens was just 17. Born Richard Steven Valenzuela on May 13, 1941, the singer already boasted a Top-40 hit with his rock rendition of Mexican folk song “La Bamba.” But all of that was lost before his 18th birthday when the airplane that went down on February 3, 1959, just a few minutes after takeoff. He was the youngest onboard to pass away. Valens’ life is immortalized in the 1987 biopic La Bamba.

Hank Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953)

One of the biggest names in country music, not only does Hank Williams boast a number of the genre’s most important songs but he also gave birth to a lineage of artists who carry on his music to this day. Williams, who died on New Year’s Day in 1953 after traveling around sick in the backseat of a car on a solo music tour, gave the world songs like “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “Hey, Good Lookin’” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” among many more. His signature voice and lyrical skill remain essential. But his talent and life were snuffed out thanks, largely, to an alcohol addition. Williams was 29 when he died. With 55 songs that reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, he remains an icon.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Photo by Steve Oroz/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images