Buddy Holly's Funeral
Holly's funeral was held on February 7, 1959, at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock.
The service was officiated by Ben D. Johnson, who had presided at the Hollys' wedding just months earlier. The pallbearers were Jerry Allison, Joe B. Mauldin, Niki Sullivan, Bob Montgomery, Sonny Curtis and Phil Everly. Waylon Jennings was unable to attend due to his commitment to the still touring Winter Dance Party. The body was interred in the City of Lubbock Cemetery in the eastern part of the city. Holly's headstone carries the correct spelling of his surname (Holley) and a carving of his Fender Stratocaster guitar.
Holly's funeral took place the following weekend at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas, with over 1,000 people attending. Buddy's pallbearers were Joe Mauldin, Jerry Allison, Niki Sullivan, Bob Montgomery, Sonny Curtis and Phil Everly. He was buried in Lubbock City Cemetery with a marker that spelled his family name correctly, with an "e".
“In a way, I blame myself. I was not feeling well when he left. I was two weeks pregnant, and I wanted Buddy to stay with me, but he had scheduled that tour. It was the only time I wasn't with him. And I blame myself because I know that, if only I had gone along, Buddy never would have gotten into that airplane.”
— Maria Elena Holly
