Big Bopper Jr. dies in Katy

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Jay P. Richardson, son of early rock 'n' roll star "The Big Bopper," died this morning in Katy "after a long hard fight," according to his father's website.

"Known around the world as 'Big Bopper JR,' JP was, in fact, the son of the legendary rock 'n roll artist, The Big Bopper, who is most well known as the singer of 'Chantilly Lace.' JP never got to know his dad because he was born some 80 days after his father was killed in a plane crash in Mason City, Iowa, after a performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa - a crash that also took the lives of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens and became known as 'The Day The Music Died.'

"Jay is survived by his wife Patty, sons Jay Jr. and Thomas, daughter Ashlyn, her husband Kevin Ray Adams, and grandchildren, including granddaughters Hadley and Justine, and grandson Jimmy.

"Please keep JP and the Richardson family in your thoughts and prayers during this time. And if you'd like to send cards of sympathy or other fond memories, please send them to:

Big Bopper Music

P.O. Box 6926

Katy, TX 77491"

Richardson, 54, had a heart pump installed in June. Information on services and a memorial is pending.

The Big Bopper (Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr.) was born in Sabine Pass and is best-known for the classic "Chantilly Lace." He was killed Feb. 3, 1959 in a plane crash alongside Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.

The younger Richardson, who was born two months after his father's death, opened the Little Bopper Nightclub in 1991 in Katy. As recent as this year, he toured the country singing his father's songs on some of the same legendary stages. Richardson's 1997 CD, "The Legacy of the Big Bopper," featured covers of "Chantilly Lace," "Big Bopper's Wedding" and "White Lightning."

Richardson had his father's casket exhumed in 2007 from Forest Lawn Cemetery in Beaumont so a forensic anthropologist could confirm the cause of death. He was reburied in a new casket.