Also Read: Connie Lemos: Facts About Ritchie Valens sister. Rock historian Beverly Mandheim says there's no question Valens was involved with Fox-Coots, but that she wasn't his only infatuation. Mother of Rock Star Ritchie Valens Dies October 20, 1987 WATSONVILLE, Calif. (AP) _ Connie Valenzuela, the mother of the late rock singer Ritchie Valens, has died of an apparent heart attack. ", Her name is Donna Fox-Coots now, and she manages a Cal Fed Mortgage branch in this Sacramento suburb. Reactions: Biltmore. Ritchie's death left the world in shock. Ritchie January 1959, The Winter Dance Party Tour, MN. 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Morales reluctantly admitted, as his younger sisters teased him, that his mom beat him up one night when he arrived home in a drunken state. He (Danny) plays my brother in the film, says Mrs. Valenzuela. She respected our wishes and valued our input. Ritchie Valens' Fear of Flying Came From a Plane Crash That Happened I liked Ritchie a lot, I really cared, but I can't say I loved him. He was named for the late singer Ritchie Valens, after his mother watched the movie La Bamba. I ran with a pack of girls and I was their leader.". On February 3, 1959, he died at 17. My husband and I hired Abby to prepare our estate plan. When Danny Valdez (Luis brother and associate producer of the film La Bamba) finally connected with the Valenzuelas, they werent interested in another film project. Advertisement. She then tried to manage an Asian-Mexican singer, Chan Romera, who gained some regional recognition in California with his version of Hippy Hippy Shake. After attending a Ritchie Valens memorial dance here, she decided to move from Pacoima, which harbored many unhappy memories. We bring to you daily trends in Ghana and all around the world. Although totally unprepared to enter the world of contracts and music rights, she claims that one day Herb (Keanes partner) called me and said to sign a contract just in case anything might happen to Richie Valens; otherwise, I wouldnt get anything. At age 15, Ritchie Valens was a student at Pacoima Junior High School, now Pacoima Middle School. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). I never knew all the problems poor Bob went through or all my mother had to put up with him at the time. Valens, whose real name was Richard Valenzuela, was a Mexican American who lived in a shack on the wrong side of town. The record executive that discovered Richie, Bob Keane claimed that he should retain the vast majority of the music rights. They shared two and a half years of memories and hearts forever. She also got married to Robert Morales in 1952. Her independent streak gave her the gumption to date Valens against the vehement opposition of her father. ", Fox-Coots says she and Valens had "an arrangement" after he dropped out of high school to record music and tour the country. Mother of Rock Star Ritchie Valens Dies | AP News received the recognition and tribute that was due him. ", She never had to file a lawsuit, and she is very happy with the way "La Bamba" turned out. Ritchie signed the contract with the record label after his audition on May 27, 1958. She has two daughters who grew up bragging to their friends that their mother was the actual Donna. It was him.. Charley Palmer Rothwell: Who Is Patsy Palmers Son? I got an insurance policy on his life. (Later, she collected double indemnity on that policy. She was 72. After all, this 16-year-old kid was often out until midnight. However, Come On, Lets Go did indeed come from an expression used by both Ritchie and his mom whenever they went somewhere. she says. He was eight months into his music career. I was a kid. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and "The Big Bopper" die in a - HISTORY Just one fave moment from this week: In a dream, Rory talks to her mother, and it's Madeleine Albright, who is a pretty good actor. They interviewed everyone involved and did extensive analysis of the crash site. The tour conditions were miserable. And that 57 black and silver-chromed Thunderbird (its blue in the movie) that Keane gave Ritchie? I pulled over to the side of the road when Come On, Lets Go came on the radio. Only this time they're a little different. Donna 1959, Donna's senior class photo from James Monroe High School. CITRUS HEIGHTS, CALIF. -- The first hint Donna Ludwig had that she might become a rock 'n' roll legend came on a bright October day in 1958. Later, when he started going out to play at different places, I would worry. Once I dreamed Ritchie came and sat on the foot of my bed and said, 'Everything's okay.' Ritchie valens . The song peaked on the charts a few weeks after his death. What pushes your button more: Navel barers or idiotic promos? Bob Morales, Ritchies older stepbrother, interrupted. "Of course," she says, "no one believed them. And since Ritchie would dress up real sharp, theyd refer to him as hi tone when he did.. BMI sends me a statement. Somehow, Connie Valenzuela seems more resigned than angry about these incidents. But we had Ritchie. They dont have to be macho or mean or cuss or take drugs to be a man. Here she is, a middle-aged woman who worries about her double chin, talking to the media about this kid who will be forever 17. He was raised hearing traditional Mexican mariachi music, as well as flamenco guitar, rhythm and blues, and jump blues. I was too young to really know my brother, Connie, admitted in an interview with Los Angeles Times. Valdez lives 15 miles away in San Juan Bautista (home for El Teatro Campesino, of which he and Luis are founding members). "I was attracted to him because he was a nice man, er " She stops herself. . Ritchie Valens - Biography - IMDb Apart from Ritchie Valens, Connie had three other siblings. Connie Lemos father, Joe died at age 56 on 8 January 1952 in Los Angeles County, California. With that, several people nearby broke again into the familiar chorus: Donna . With a packed schedule, the performers where often on the road all night in below zero conditions. . To get to the bottom of the cause of the crash experts from the Civil Aeronautics Board came to the crash site to launch an investigation. After his father's death, Lou was adopted by his mother's second husband and he took his surname, Phillips. She feels strongly that Valens' recording company took financial advantage of the family after his death. CONNIE VALENZUELA, 72, the mother of 1950s - Orlando Sentinel While this website is an indirect advertisement for the Neal Law Firm, PLCs legal services, the attorneys of the Neal Law Firm, PLC are not your attorney nor are you our client until you enter into a written agreement with the Neal Law Firm, PLC to provide legal services. Concepcions ex-husband Joseph Steven Valenzuela died on 8 January 1952, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA, at age 55. He was in a relationship with his high school sweetheart, Donna Ludwig from 1957 until his death. Connie Lemos is the sister of Ritchie Valens. He was accompanied by other big-name artists such as J.P. Richardson and Buddy Holly, as well as pilot Robert Peterson but they never made it to their destination. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6733 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. Her niece, Diane Amezquita of San Jose, said she had been hospitalized since Friday. She said his mentor and uncle Dickie Cota taught the boy how to strum a guitar and how to sing it in Spanish. Her brother Valens was on the plane because he won a coin toss with Hollys backup guitarist Tommy Allsup. Did Ritchie Valens really buy his mom a house? - TipsFolder.com Connie Lemos: Facts About Ritchie Valens' sister - Dicy Trends My brother was blond. She opens it to a glossy studio photograph of Valens. But away from the excitement of the screening, Connie Valenzuela, 72, sat in one of her daughters homes, surrounded by her several children and grandchildren. Ritchie knew her, he said. She was buried at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, Los Angeles County, California. Unprepared for the sudden fame that Ritchies music generated, Connie Valenzuela was also completely unaware of the world of contracts and music rights. So he had a girlfriend. Ritchie Valens had several hits in his eight-month career. We found Ms. Neal through a friend of ours and she was kind enough to walk us through the estate planning process and answer our questions with ease. THE REVERIES OF VALENS' DONNA. In fact, songs still reference "The day the music died" even today, leaving Valens' family to carry on his legacy. Bob Morales at Pac Jr Mural Dedication - YouTube By age five Ritchie Valens had an interest in making his own music. Donna . But her absence failed to bother most of the 200 lovers of rock n roll who gathered around noon on Hollywood Boulevard. She says she'd love to tell the world what it's like to be a living legend, but says she's never really felt like one. The plane they were chartered, a four-passengerBeechcraft Bonanza, (N3794N), left forFargo, North Dakota. Also on board were Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper. However, people still couldnt explain why the plane went down. A Detailed Look At The Tragic Death Of Ritchie Valens - Grunge Connie Valenzuela said: Ritchie never spoke in Spanish because his dad never did. Just before her passing in 1987, she formed Hi-Tone Five Corporation for Ritchie Valens: family, life story, net worth, inheritance Valens played guitar and sang with a local high school band until he was discovered in 1958.