Let’s Go Crazy: 5 of the Weirdest Rock-`n-Roll Conspiracy Theories

Buddy Holly’s Plane Was Brought Down by His Own Gun

That’ll be the day.

Buddy Holly did carry a gun, and it was with him on the plane, although likely in its usual place in Holly’s shaving kit rather than on his person during the flight. Being from Texas, and being responsible for the Crickets’ cash, Holly carried the gun mostly for protection against robbery, although in at least one instance he did have to display it in order to convince a reluctant promoter to turn over the band’s earnings.

Holly’s gun was discovered in the field where the plane had gone down a couple of months after the crash and was rumored to have had one shot fired. That led to various conspiracy theories; there had been some sort of airborne struggle ending with the gun being fired, Buddy had flipped out because of the bad weather and demanded that the pilot land right now, the gun was accidentally discharged when Buddy and the Big Bopper tried to exchange seats. There was a bullet hole in the back of the pilot’s seat. No, there were actually two — or three — bullet holes in the plane’s fuselage.

In fact, the gun had been fired, once, by the farmer who discovered it to “see if it still worked.” There had been no signs of gunplay in the wreck. No…