A prominent forensic anthropologist has said that Jiles Perry Richardson, aka The Big Bopper, pretty much definitely died on impact during that historic plane crash back in 1959, despite persistent rumours that the fifties rock n roll star may have died while seeking help following the crash.
Richardson's son asked University Of Tennessee's Dr Bill Bass to analyse his late father's exhumed body in order to assess whether there was any truth in rumours that have circulated in relation to the crash, in which Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens also died, that a gun was fired prior to the crash, and that Richardson survived the crash itself but died trying to seek help.
Holly, Valens, Richardson and their pilot all famously died in the 1959 crash, as the rock n rollers travelled between dates on their Winter Dance Party tour. Richardson, perhaps best known for his hit 'Chantilly Lace', wasn't meant to be on the plane but took the place of one of Holly's backing band The Crickets because he was felling unwell and didn't fancy riding on the tour bus. A gun that belonged to Holly was found at the crash site which has always fuelled rumours someone was shot prior to the crash, possibly the pilot, but investigators always ruled the gun was not relevant to the incident, and that the plane crashed due to pilot error in stormy conditions.
Confirming the results of his x-rays of Richardson's body, Dr Bass told reporters: "There was no indication of foul play. There are fractures from head to toe. Massive fractures... [he] died immediately. He didn't crawl away. He didn't walk away from the plane".
Richardson's son, Jay, said he was pleased with Bass' findings, and that they proved that investigators "knew what they were talking about 48 years ago". He added that he asked Bass to analyse the body in a bid to "put the rumours to rest". Jay was present when Bass opened his father's coffin, and commented that he was shocked how well the late singer's body was preserved. He told reporters: "Dad still amazes me 48 years after his death, that he was in remarkable shape. I surprised myself. I handled it better than I thought I would".
The body has been reburied in the same cemetery but in a different plot so to allow the installation of a graveside statue.