María Elena Holly Net Worth

What Is María Elena Holly's Net Worth?

María Elena Holly is an American businesswoman who has a net worth of $10 million. María Elena Holly is best known for being Buddy Holly's widow. María Elena owns the rights to Buddy Holly's name, trademarks, image, and other intellectual property. She co-founded The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation in 2010. Buddy Holly was one of the first artists to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was ranked #13 on "Rolling Stone" magazine's 2010 "100 Greatest Artists" list. His single "That'll Be the Day" with the Crickets reached #1 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart and in the UK. María Elena has appeared in the TV documentaries "Kings of Rock 'n' Roll" (2008) and "Buddy Holly: Rave On" (2017), and the 1978 film "The Buddy Holly Story" was dedicated to her. María Elena was portrayed by Maria Richwine in the critically acclaimed film.

Early Life

María Elena Holly was born María Elena Santiago on December 20, 1932, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. When María Elena was six years old, her mother died. She was later sent to New York City to live with her aunt, Provi Garcia. After moving to NYC, María Elena took a job at the music publisher Peermusic as a receptionist.

Marriage to Buddy Holly

It is believed that María Elena met Buddy Holly at Peermusic in August 1957 when he visited Peer Southern Music with his band, the Crickets, to meet with Murray Deutch, their publishing manager. Buddy asked María Elena out on a date on June 19, 1958, and she told him that he needed to ask her aunt, Provi, for permission. Provi gave Buddy her permission, and five hours into the date, he proposed to María Elena. Thinking Holly was joking, she responded, "Do you want to get married now or after dinner?" According to a 2009 "Rolling Stone" article, it was love at first sight for Buddy. María Elena said of the day they met, "One day this guy comes in through the door of PeerSouthern Music, where I was working as a receptionist, and I acted very reserved — 'Can I help you?' — and he was with the Crickets and said, 'Oh, we're not in a hurry,' and then turned to them and said, 'You know what? I'm going to marry that girl." The couple married on August 15, 1958, at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas, Holly's hometown. They lived in Lubbock until Buddy and the Crickets parted ways, then they relocated to New York. María Elena went on tour with Buddy in the fall of 1958, taking on promotional duties. Holly named his music publishing company Maria Music in her honor.

Before María Elena agreed to marry Buddy, she insisted that he resolve his issues with Norman Petty, his manager and producer. Petty controlled the Crickets' finances and was allegedly withholding royalty payments from them. When Buddy and María Elena visited Petty at the studio, he reportedly told Holly, "I'd rather see you dead than to give you the money now." According to Petty, "Elena did all the talking. She said, 'Buddy and I have decided that Buddy can do better — that you're not fit for Buddy's manager.' And I said, 'What's this — is it something I've done?' She said, 'It's what you haven't done — you haven't done near enough for him.'" Sadly, Holly died in a plane crash with The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens on February 3, 1959. María Elena was pregnant at the time, and she suffered a miscarriage the following day. She found out about her husband's death from news reports on TV. Buddy was laid to rest in Lubbock, and María Elena didn't attend his funeral and hasn't visited his gravesite. She told the "Lubbock Avalanche-Journal" a few days after the plane crash, "In a way, I blame myself. I was not feeling well when he left. I was two weeks pregnant, and I wanted Buddy to stay with me, but he had scheduled that tour. It was the only time I wasn't with him. And I blame myself because I know that, if only I had gone along, Buddy never would have gotten into that airplane." Due to the way María Elena found out about Buddy's death and her subsequent miscarriage, authorities later adopted a policy not to disclose the names of victims until the families have been informed.

Later Life

María Elena later married Puerto Rican government official Joe Diaz, and they welcomed three children together before divorcing. She is dedicated to promoting Holly's legacy, and in 2010, she co-founded the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation with Peter Bradley. The foundation's mission is "to promote Buddy Holly's legendary music so that it continues to inspire future generations of fans and musicians and make the dreams and wishes of Buddy and María Elena Holly come true by promoting musical education for young people." The Smithereens paid tribute to her in the 1989 song "Maria Elena," and she was portrayed by Maria Richwine in the film "The Buddy Holly Story" and Jill Hennessy in the Broadway musical "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story."

In 1999, María Elena and Buddy's siblings sued MCA for "defrauding them of royalties by using void contracts and forged signatures," alleging that the media conglomerate had "grossly underpaid the fair market value of royalties" and "stolen certain recordings and sold them." The lawsuit also alleged that Holly's former manager, Norman Petty, "conspired with MCA to defraud the Holly heirs." In 2007, "the parties came to an agreement regarding the amount of royalties due," and the court ruled that "MCA owed the Petty estate and the Holly heirs a combined $251,325 in additional royalties."