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Musicians who died in plane crashes

The 30-year-old Croce had already made the charts multiple times with "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" when a light plane carrying him and four bandmates crashed shortly after taking off from Nachitoches, La., on Sept. 20, 1973, the day his single "I Got A Name" was released.

The 30-year-old Croce had already made the charts multiple times with “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” and “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” when a light plane carrying him and four bandmates crashed shortly after taking off from Nachitoches, La., on Sept. 20, 1973, the day his single “I Got A Name” was released.   (GAB Archive / RedfernsGetty Images)

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By Charles FlemingA look back at the accidents that killed several music legends.More: Celebrities who died young

Ricky Nelson

The former teen idol and co-star of the “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” TV family had 53 hit singles, among the biggest being “Poor Little Fool,” “Lonesome Town” and “Garden Party.” Nelson and seven others died when the singer’s 1944 DC-10 crashed in Texas after catching on fire in midflight -- on New Year’s Eve in 1985.
More: Obituary  (Penni Gladstone / Los Angeles Times)

Aaliyah

The pop singer died in 2001 after a plane carrying her and eight others to Florida from the Bahamas crashed. Her debut album was titled “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number.” She was 22 when she died.
More: Obituary: R&B Singer Aaliyah Dies in Bahamas Plane Crash  (Jim Cooper / AP)

Jenni Rivera

Mexican American singer Jenni Rivera, a popular recording artist and reality television star, died Dec. 9, 2012, in northern Mexico after a plane carrying her and six other people crashed. She was 43.
More:Authorities confirm singer died in plane crash  (Reed Saxon / AP)

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