Tommy Allsup, Musician Who Avoided Buddy Holly Plane Crash, Dies at 85
By: Caryn Robbins Jan. 13, 2017
NBC News reports that Tommy Allsup, the guitarist who fatefully lost a coin toss that kept him off a plane that later crashed and killed music legends Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson, has passed away at the age of 85.
According to the report, Allsup died Wednesday, January 11th at a hospital in Springfield, Missouri, due to COMPLICATIONS from a hernia operation. The guitarist was a member of Holly's band when the singer died in the Feb. 3, 1959, plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. Allsup famously flipped a coin to determine if he or Valens would get a seat on a plane headed to their next tour stop.
The musician worked with such artists as Ronnie Smith, Roy Orbison, and producer Willie Nelson. In 1979, he started a club, "Tommy's Heads Up Saloon", in Dallas. The club was named for Allsup's coin toss with Valens.
Yesterday, The Recording Academy released the following statement on his passing:
Jan. 12, 2017
Tommy Allsup was one of western swing and rockabilly music's finest. The Oklahoma native and GRAMMY® winner was admired by his peers and fans alike-heralded by Paul McCartney as one of the finest guitar players in the world. Probably best known for working with Buddy Holly, Tommy later went on to produce and work with the likes of Merle Haggard, Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys, and Willie Nelson, earning him a spot in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Our deepest condolences go out to Tommy's family, friends, and creative collaborators.President/CEO
The Recording Academy
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