Richard Steven Valenzuela

 Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Ritchie Valens

A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens' recording career lasted eight months, as it abruptly ended when he died in a plane crash. During this time, he had several hits, most notably "La Bamba", which he adapted from a Mexican folk song. Valens transformed the song into one with a rock rhythm and beat, and it became a hit in 1958, making Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement. He also influenced the likes of Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys and Carlos Santana, as he had become nationally successful at a time when there were very few Latinos in American rock and pop music. He is considered the first Latino to successfully cross over into mainstream rock. On February 3, 1959, on what has become known as "The Day the Music Died", Valens died in a plane crash in Iowa, an accident that also claimed the lives of fellow musicians Buddy Holly and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, as well as pilot Roger Peterson. He was 17 years old at the time. Valens was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Ritchie Valens is buried at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, CA.