For those around during the time, How sad was Jim Croce’s death?

“Photographs & Memories” was my first cassette tape purchase. I absolutely love that man’s music and I’m interested in the replies

There was a sadness at the loss of a very talented man much too soon.

Before my time but his popularity was so fresh that losing him may have had a delayed impact on people who hadn't really discovered him yet. I believe Time in a Bottle hit after his death.

EtA we have a serial downvoter in a Jim Croce thread

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How sad was Jim Croce’s death?

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His son A.J.Croce will be at the Joy Theater in New Orleans March 24, 2024.

LINK

Go read about the tragedy he has over came.

Yea Jody it’s quite the story, more than likely Jim was and would’ve been a great father

I’ve eaten at Croce’s in San Diego
I think it is now closed. He died a week after he and Ingrid moved to San Diego

I grew up listening to his music mainly because my dad played guitar and he was a big fan. Hell, he even looked similar to Croce. Definitely a fan and also didn't realize the timeline.

According to Jim's wife Ingrid, Jim wrote her a letter prior to the concert in Natchitoches indicating after the tour, which he had two more stops to make after Natchitoches, he was done with the music industry and being on the road. Royalties was the problem. I've heard where the record industry in that time was ripping artists off really bad, but it takes two years after an album is cut before you start seeing paychecks. Jim played for only 45 minutes on his last gig and according to the NTSB findings, it was pilot error. Pilot flew with the wind and not into the wind to get the plane off the ground to fly over the trees at the end of the runway. I heard Jim was in a hurry to finish the tour to get home. Concerning a possible movie about Jim, about twenty years ago, I sent an email to one of Jim's producers, Terry Cashman asking why a movie was never made about Jim. His response was that Ingrid controlled the rights to all of the film footage and photos of Jim. Everything would have to go through her to get approved. There was a big dispute with her and the record company. Law suits were filed with City of Natchitoches and record company. Results were that Ingrid won the lawsuit and finally collected Jim's royalties. Jim's son AJ is doing a tour right now singing Jim's songs and be honest, he sounds just like his dad. If a movie was to be made about Jim, AJ should get the part, looks just like him. I was 15 The Day The Music Died.

That's been the rumor I've always heard but I've never seen it validated. I read recently that there were next to no drugs found on the plane. Since everyone died on the plane there’s no way to validate the pilot running to the airport rumor.

I remember reading this in Alexandria's Town Talk newspaper about a drug bust at the airport. Now I've read where the pilot was running from the hotel to the airport at night when a police officer picked him up and drove him to the airport. This may have caused a heart attack. It's possibly being in a rush to get out could have caused the pilot to not make proper checks on the airplane of the surroundings. I've also heard where he did not rive up the engines enough before take off. There is a lot of unanswered questions about that night.