🔊🥳 Today, May 13, 1941, Ritchie Valens was born Richard Stevens Valenzuela was born in Los Angeles, California. Two days before passing away in a plane crash that also killed Buddy Holly & The Big Popper on February 3, 1959, Valens charted a song on the US Hot 100 called ‘La Bamba.’ Valens popularized the original Mexican folk song in 1958, for his eponymous (posthumous) debut studio album. ‘La Bamba’ peaked at no. 22.