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Big Bopper's remains investigated
It’s been nearly 50 years since the infamous plane crash that killed rock 'n’ roll legends Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P “Big Bopper” Richardson. The tragedy captivated the country and provided inspiration for Don McLean’s hit song “American Pie,” yet many questions still remain unanswered.
Months after the crash, a farmer recovered Holly’s gun in a nearby field adjacent to the site. The location of Richardson’s body was also a mystery. It was discovered 40 feet away from the crash site and the other victims. These facts and other findings fueled stories of foul play, and conspiracy theories have continued to surround the tragedy.
Jay Richardson, the son of “The Big Bopper” hired former KU anthropology professor William Bass to put the rumors to rest and examine the remains of his father.
Bass, who is currently a Professor emeritus at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and a world-renowned forensic anthropologist, was a professor of anthropology at KU from 1960 to 1971. He also received the H. Bernerd Fink Teaching Award in 1965.
In March, Bass traveled to Beaumont, Texas, where the body was already scheduled for reburial. “I don’t think I would have exhumed my Dad to do this unless there was some evidence that would compel me to do that. I had the opportunity to do something here that probably would never come up again, and I wanted to take advantage of it,” Jay Richardson said in an Associated Press interview.
After careful consideration, Bass concluded that the rumors where just that. The Big Bopper sustained big injuries including “massive factures from head to toe” consistent with the crash. The Bopper’s body was reburied in another part of the cemetery with a new memorial statue. The cemetery recently changed its policy to allow above-ground memorials and has offered to pay for this move.
