Fifty years ago, the music industry lost one of its greatest musicians, Jim Croce.
Croce was conquering music charts after his sold-out shows a year before his passing. He started his career while studying at Villanova University in Philadelphia and took the risk to fund his first album using the funds that he and his wife, Ingrid Jacobson, received as a wedding gift.
He continuously dropped albums in the years thereafter, and he savored the spotlight not until an event struck him on September 20, 1973.
What Happened to Jim Croce?
Croce completed his new album, "I Got a Name," and he scheduled its title track for release the following day.
He held a show in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with road manager Dennis East, bandmate Maury Muehleisen, comedian George Stevens and booking agent Kenneth Cortese. After the schedule, they all boarded a Beechcraft E18S twin-engine plane to jet to his next show in Sherman, Tex.
However, an incident - which was later described as a pilot error - led to a tragic crash when the plane failed to clear a pecan tree while taking off. The then-30-year-old singer was instantly killed alongside the five other people aboard.
In Croce's wife Ingrid's 2012 book, "I Got a Name: The Jim Croce Story," she looked back at the devastating event and how she found out about the news through a phone call.
Meanwhile, the President of Croce's then label ABC/Dunhill issued a heartfelt statement to pay tribute to the late singer.
"He told me, last New Year's Day, that he enjoyed taking care of his son's 2 a.m. bottle and diaper change because it gave him more time to spend with the boy, something he had precious little time for, in light of his heavy travel commitments," he said. "We are now all the losers for not being able to spend more time with Jim Croce."
Jim Croce's Music, Posthumous Projects Became Hits
Although Croce stopped performing in the flesh following his death, his music continued to serenade the industry and the world.
His completed album, "I Got a Name," was released posthumously on December 1, 1973, and secured the No. 2 spot on the Billboard 200 chart. His track, "Time In a Bottle," also reentered the chart until it became No. 1 in January 1974.
His song, "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song," became his fifth and final top 10 hit on the chart in April 1974.
Croce's contribution to the music industry also led him to be posthumously honored in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1990. Musicians also covered his songs and continued his legacy.
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