Anniversary of Holly death remembered

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Attendees at events held in Clear Lake, Iowa, say they have gathered together to honor the 50th anniversary of singer Buddy Holly's death.

The Des Moines (Iowa) Register said Sunday that a week of activities in Clear Lake aimed at remembering the tragic 1959 death of the "That'll Be the Day" artist is set to end Monday.

Holly died on Feb. 3, 1959, in an airplane crash that also claimed the lives of musicians J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson and Ritchie Valens.

The tragic event still resonated with some of those taking part in the Clear Lake activities, which range from concerts to crash site visits.

"It's like when Kennedy died. You knew were you were," Wisconsin native Dick Voigt said of the 1959 crash. "I remember hearing the news on the radio."

Other visitors to Clear Lake remembered Holly's impact on the music world.

"Buddy was one of the first rock 'n' roll stars to come to England," Lawrence Elliott of the British city of Liverpool told the Register.