September 20 1973: Jim Croce Dies In Natchitoches Plane Crash

It was late at night on September 20, 1973. Singer Jim Croce had just finishes a concert at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. He and five others boarded a Beechcraft plane, planning to take off and head to the next day's show in Sherman, Texas.

Tragically, the plane never made it much past the runway. In a mishap investigators described as pilot error, the chartered plane failed to clear a tree while taking. All on board were killed, including Croce, guitarist Maury Muehleisen, comedian George Stevens, agent Kenneth Cortose, road manager Dennis Rast and pilot Robert Elliott.

Croce, 30, was at the peak of his popularity with a pair of top selling albums, "Don't Mess Around With Jim" and "Life and Times", and a mega-hit single, "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown".

Sadly, a few days after his death, his widow, Ingrid, received a letter he's mailed from the road. In it, he talked about he couldn't wait to get home from the tour. “Remember," Croce wrote, "It’s the first 60 years that count and I’ve got 30 to go. I love you.”

Legendary Musicians Who Rocked The Hirsch In Shreveport

Here's a sample of the legendary musical acts who have played Shreveport's Memorial Coliseum over the last 60 years. The Hirsch was basically the homefield for bands like Van Halen and ZZ Top, who regularly put the Hirsch near the top of their tours. For that reason, we're actually not going to feature them on this list, because they were basically "house bands" for Shreveport...and that's NOT a bad thing.

75 Of The Most Famous People From Louisiana

60 of the Most Famous Graves in Louisiana

Some of the most famous and recognizable names in America's History are buried right here in Louisiana. Some are natives, some aren't. From war heroes to global icons to musical legends to folk heroes, Louisiana has all kinds of pieces of history in the state. Here are 60 of the most famous and recognizable, including several who may have ties to Shreveport-Bossier that you didn't realize - for instance, did you know the guy that wrote the screenplays for all the Planet of the Apes movies is local? We didn't!

Check out just a small piece of all the history you can visit here in the Bayou State.

Source: On This Day in 1973: Jim Croce Dies In Natchitoches Plane Crash