More than 65 years after his passing, the shock surrounding Buddy Holly's death has scarcely wavered. Of course, as a promising young star who died long before turning 30 (Holly was just 22 at the ...

McLean, 77, wrote an essay for CNN about "American Pie" in 2009, noting that his appreciation for Holly's music partially inspired the song: "Buddy's death, for me, an impressionable 13-year-old ...