Buddy Holly is a person.
Buddy Holly ( born Charles Hardin Holley ; September 7 , 1936 -- February 3 , 1959 ) was an American musician and singer-songwriter who was a central figure of mid-1950s rock and roll . Unhappy with Bradley 's control in the studio and with the sound he achieved there , Holly went to producer Norman Petty in Clovis , New Mexico , and recorded a demo of `` That 'll Be the Day '' , among other songs . Soon after takeoff , the plane crashed , killing Holly , Ritchie Valens , The Big Bopper , and pilot Roger Peterson in a tragedy later referred to by Don McLean as `` The Day the Music Died '' . He was among the first artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , in 1986 . `` Peggy Sue '' is a rock-and-roll song written by Buddy Holly , Jerry Allison , and Norman Petty , recorded and released as a single by Holly in early July of 1957 .