The song was released in 1958 on Del-Fi Records. Along with “La Bamba,” “Come On, Let’s Go,” Ritchie also wrote the famous song “Donna,” which was a tribute to his high school sweetheart, Donna Ludwig. I cried all the time and everyone pointed their finger at me. She mentioned some of Ritchie’s top hits.

// fb pixel In the mid-1950s, the family moved to the Los Angeles suburb of Pacoima, where the teen-ager attended high school and began playing in a rock band. n.callMethod.apply(n, arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments) “It’s funny; I never fit into California. Kendall Jenner Says Kylie Ruined Her Night in Palm Springs | KUWTK | E! (function () { (function () { Connie said she loves hearing stories from people who say Ritchie inspired them to start playing an instrument or to start singing. Millions of youth, parents, volunteers and alumni will celebrate the ... SHERBURN — The Sherburn Theatre will show movies every other weekend in October, and hopefully longer, thanks to ... FAIRMONT — Martin County commissioners on Tuesday heard from Kinship of Martin County director Jen Kahler. if (f.fbq) return; n = f.fbq = function () { We were able to come from our hiding places where we had hidden our wounds, and talk about it,”, “Mama told [the director], ‘I’m going to trust you with my son’s story, but I want it to be told like we tell you. He came on as a guitarist, but then took on the role of lead vocalist after the first one left the group. Copyright © Fairmont Sentinel | https://www.fairmontsentinel.com | 64 Downtown Plaza, Fairmont, MN 56031 | 507-235-3303 | Ogden Newspapers | The Nutting Company, “2019 marks 60 years since the day the music died,”, “He was a prolific song-writer. Donna’s father didn’t approve of the relationship, because, remember, this was the ’50s:  Donna was white, and Ritchie was Latino. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}), Ritchie Valens was born in 1941 and skyrocketed to stardom at an incredibly young age. }(window, document, 'script', He was a performer-songwriter. Donna now lives in a small community near Sacramento with her third husband. Ritchie Valens' mother died in 1987.

// Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Ads ga('set', 'dimension1', 'Gina Vaynshteyn'); Their Romance Is So Sad, The Coolest Vanity Apps for You and Your Girls, Social Media is Changing the Face of the Beauty Industry, Getting Back to the Basics of Pure Education, Why the Pajama Top Should Be Your Summer Uniform, Official Designers for the Industry Giants, How to Travel Fashionably on a Long Flight, Looking Shady: Essential Sunglasses for the Summer, Best Tips on How to Wear Sneakers to Work, Swimming the Crystal Waters of the Great Alps, Russia: Exploring the Giant Lakes of Syberia, How to Travel Cheap: Finding a Cheap Flight, Get Lost in Italy and Get Ready for Relaxation, Discovering Sydney’s Must-See Attractions, https://www.distractify.com/p/ritchie-valens-and-his-high-school-sweetheart-donna-have-the-most-tragic-love-story, Facebook Employees Are Quitting Over Zuckerberg’s Inaction on Trump, Killer Mike On His Emotional Speech In Atlanta: I Said What Was In My Heart, What’s On Tonight: ‘Charm City Kings’ And ‘The Forty-Year-Old Version’ Bring Sundance Acclaim To Streaming, ‘Spider-Man 3’ Is Reportedly Filling Tony Stark’s Mentor Shoes With Another MCU Hero, A Campaign For Jeff Goldblum To Appear In An ‘SNL’ Fly-Themed Skit Is Gaining Steam After The VP Debate. She discussed what it was like the first time she came to Iowa, in 1988, for a Ritchie Valens memorial at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, where Ritchie boarded the plane that crashed. “Mama told [the director], ‘I’m going to trust you with my son’s story, but I want it to be told like we tell you. Though Ritchie has been gone for 60 years now, he has achieved a lot posthumously. In his short eight-month career, he produced a lot of great hits.”. t.src = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; “He was a prolific song-writer. s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s) Written as a tribute to his high school sweetheart Donna Ludwig, it was Valens' highest-charting single, reaching No. He used his dreams to end the cycle of poverty for our family. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}), According to The Post, Donna “regularly sneaked out of her bedroom window to meet Valens at San Fernando hangouts like the Rainbow Roller Rink or Bob’s Big Boy.” Donna first learned about “Donna” when Ritchie called her and told her that he wrote a song for her. “I said, ‘I’m sorry but I can’t listen to his music.’ I was still holding onto the hope that maybe he really wasn’t gone. Donna Ludwig is now Donna Fox. They did a really good job,” Connie said of the film. They’re like zombies there. (function(c,e,o,t,n){function r(o,t){(function n(){try{return 0<(localStorage.getItem("v4ac1eiZr0")||"").split(",")[4]}catch(o){}return!1})()&&(t=c[e].pubads())&&t.setTargeting("admiral-engaged","true")}(n=c[e]=c[e]||{}).cmd=n.cmd||[],typeof n.pubads===o?r():typeof n.cmd.unshift===o?n.cmd.unshift(r):n.cmd.push(r)})(window,"googletag","function");

// ga We stay in touch with her,” she said of Ritchie’s love interest, for whom he wrote the song. s.src = 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=AW-779807651'; I was devastated. var s = document.createElement('script'); Unfortunately, Ritchie never had the chance to propose. What ever happened between Ritchie Valens and Donna? el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el); I didn’t fit, but I fit here. She recalled being in the car with her mother when his song “Come On, Let’s Go” came on. The story of Ritchie Valens' life is tragic: right when the musical prodigy's career was taking off, the day "the music died," happened. His siblings, including one older brother, two younger sisters and a younger brother, were living in California and Nevada. Morales, the older brother of famed musician Ritchie Valens, was an icon in his own right. “He was only 17. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}), Ritchie and Donna dated in high school, and their romance was portrayed in the 1987 biopic La Bamba. Back then, he was known as Ritchie Valenzuela. As his career took off, he changed his name to Ritchie Valens. ga('send', 'pageview'); On Feb. 3, 1959, also known as “The Day the Music Died,” Valens, Buddy Holly and J.P “The Big Bopper” Richards, died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. ga('set', 'dimension9', '6/3/2020'); var el = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; apstag.init({ Donna told The Post that he would even allude to them getting married someday. Connie spoke about a time in her 30s when her mother suggested putting on one of Ritchie’s albums. He wrote 22 of the 33 songs he recorded at 17,” Connie shared, pointing out that at the time it was an unheard of accomplishment for someone that young. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}). Written as a tribute to his high school sweetheart Donna Ludwig, it was Valens' highest-charting single, reaching No. Her personalized license plate reads RIPRV.Donna Ludwig is now Donna Fox. s.async = true; He didn’t swear. On Feb. 3, 1959, also known as “The Day the Music Died,” Valens, Buddy Holly and J.P “The Big Bopper” Richards, died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. “All because a 17-year-old-boy, who was a little overweight, who had acne, and who came from the wrong side of the tracks, had a dream,” Connie said.