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Falling Stars: Air Crashes that Filled Rock & Roll Heaven

Non-Fiction/History/Current Events
ISBN 1-891799-04-5
13-Digit ISBN 978-1-891799-04-4
Hardcover - $24.95
Publication Date: September 2004
Harbor House

Falling Stars gives final accounting of famous airplane crashes

John Denver, Ricky Nelson, Buddy Holly, Patsy Cline, Jim Croce, Aaliyah — some of the greatest Rock and Roll stars that ever lived — became wreckage in the prime of their careers. The media coverage, for all its frenzy, lasted only through the funerals and stopped long before the true causes of the airplane and helicopter crashes could come to light.

Veteran reporter Rich Everitt is finally telling the truth.

Falling Stars: Air Crashes that Filled Rock & Roll Heaven is an intimate portrait of these and other stars who have fallen from the sky, chronicling in honest — often gruesome — detail their brilliant lives and untimely deaths. As each startling new fact surfaces, readers finally get a comprehensive account of what really happened to these musicians adored the world over.

Years of extensive research unfurl on the pages as Everitt combines his exhaustive search for the real story, his love of music and expert knowledge of aircraft to create this heart-rending series of mini-biographies.

The characters leap from the pages, their successful careers blaze, and readers are left mourning as each superstar meets his fate. From the crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper in 1959 to the exalted career and demise of Aaliyah in 2001, Falling Stars digs deep into the heart of Rock and Roll, honoring those extraordinary musicians who lived so remarkably well in so short a span.

In clear, stunning prose that articulates the drama and tragedy of each crash, Everitt captures what generations of fans loved most about these musical icons — their timeless souls.

Advance Praise for
Falling Stars: Air Crashes that Filled Rock & Roll Heaven

“In Falling Stars you get a ‘behind the scenes’ and intimate look at these super stars’ lives – which is what makes this important book so compelling and hard to put down. After reading this book, one has to wonder how music would be today had those
great singers not boarded those planes.”
– Shelly Mangrum, The Nashville Network

“The Lynyrd Skynyrd crash was a life-altering experience for me. I survived, but so many of my fellow performers did not. Falling Stars reveals not only the surprising and shocking facts of their crashes, but, more importantly, the essence of their lives.”– Artimus Pyle, former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer

“Falling Stars made me want to cry, man. In these pages, the reader gets to know some of the greatest musicians who ever lived, including some of my old friends, like Otis Redding. It was like reliving those tragic events all over again, only this time we get to learn the facts behind each of the tragic crashes that claimed the lives of those unforgettable people.”
– James Brown, Godfather of Soul

“Through Rich Everitt, we catch a glimpse into the lives of some famous ‘falling stars’
as he shares his insights for posterity.”
– Mary Muehleisen, sister of Maury Muehleisen, Jim Croce’s guitarist

“When I met Jim Croce in the studio, little did I know how short his time on this earth would be. His music was so special that I recorded an album as a tribute to him. I had to dig deep to find special guitar licks for such special songs. Falling Stars pays tribute the same way. It digs deep and pays tribute to all these extraordinary people and especially my friend, Jim. Man, what a writer!”
– Jerry Reed, actor/singer

“Falling Stars takes you on a great ride … from the sometime humble beginnings of the stars to their full height of success, and then on to their untimely and tragic deaths. This is a must read book – a real look at the highs and lows of our greatest musical stars.”
– Storme Warren, Country Across America host