Musician Jerry Allison, who co-starred with Buddy Holly in the American rock band The Crickets, has died.
The drummer, known for co-writing hits like “That’ll Be the Day” and “Peggy Sue,” died Monday at the age of 82.
News of his passing was announced on Buddy Holly’s official Facebook page, with a statement paying tribute to Allison as a “musician ahead of his time.”
“My heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Crickets drummer Jerry ‘JI’ Allison, who passed away today at the age of 82, was one of Buddy’s closest friends, and has been an inspiration to drummers for decades since. My condolences.I read.
“JI was a musician ahead of his time and without a doubt his energy, ideas and prodigious skills have contributed to both the crickets and rock and roll itself to great success.
“Buddy is best known as the original singer-songwriter, but JI also wrote and inspired many timeless classics.”
The Crickets were formed in January 1957 by singer-songwriter Holly.
Their first hit record, That’ll Be the Day, was released in May 1957 and reached number three on the Billboard Top 100 chart in September of that year.
The cover of their first album, The ‘Chirping’ Crickets, showed the then band line-up of Holly, Allison, Niki Sullivan and Joe B Mauldin.
Of those four, Alison was the last surviving member, while Sullivan and Mauldin died in 2004 and 2017, respectively.
Holly herself died in a plane crash in 1959 at just 22 years old.
The Crickets, once home to country musician Waylon Jennings, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14, 2012.
