who wrote the day the music died

The phrase “the day the music died” comes from the song “American Pie,” which was written by singer‑songwriter Don McLean.

In the song’s lyrics, McLean uses “the day the music died” to describe the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson near Clear Lake, Iowa. Over time, that line became a widely used way to refer to the tragedy itself, but the person who originally wrote the phrase in this famous form was Don McLean.