Example: O.J Simpson
He was a symbol of where the 90s were and how big his court case was at the time. Not that he should garner sympathy because we all know he did it and he only got off on technicality as well as theater performed by his council. But we all know where we were when that was all happening.
If Big Bopper didn’t die, I don’t think anyone would ever mention him.
The same might be true of Buddy Holly. The Crickets had only released a handful of singles and already fallen off the charts before Holly died. If it wasn’t for the massive amount of material they recorded that could be released posthumously they might have just been a footnote.