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December 31, 1985: Rick Nelson
dies at the age of 45
167 K
On Monday 30
December, following a performance in Guntersville, Alabama (where
Rick's last number was Buddy Holly's 'Rave On'), Rick, his fiancee,
Helen Blair, and five members of The Stone Canyon Band boarded
a charter plane to fly to their next venue in Dallas. The plane,
once owned by Jerry Lee Lewis, was not in very good condition.
After take-off, the pilot radioed that smoke was seeping into
the cockpit. He attempted an emergency landing on a highway and
all seemed well when the plane landed intact. But it burst into
flames on the ground, killing all seven passengers.A memorial service
was held at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in California, and a
show featuring Rick, Fats Domino, Johnny Cash, Jerry lee Lewis
and Roy Orbison, which had been recorded before his death, was
aired on American television as a tribute to Rick.
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