The Life of Beloved Star Ricky Nelson and His Tragic Demise

Rick performed his final concert at P.J.’s Alley in Guntersville, Alabama, on December 30, 1985. He closed the evening with “Rave On,” a song closely associated with Buddy Holly, one of the rock-and-roll performers whose career had overlapped with Rick’s own rise in the 1950s.

A frequently repeated story claims “Rave On” had also been Holly’s final song before his fatal 1959 plane crash, although reconstructions of Holly’s last concert do not firmly support that detail. For Rick, however, there is no such uncertainty. After leaving the stage that night, he had one final flight to make.