Jerry Allison, drummer and close collaborator with Buddy Holly, has died, as Rolling Stone reports. Holly’s official Facebook page publicly announced the news on Monday (August 22), with a statement reading, “[Allison] was a musician ahead of his time, and undoubtedly his energy, ideas and exceptional skill contributed to both The Crickets, and rock n’ roll itself, becoming such a success.” He was 82.

Allison worked closely with Holly as a drummer and collaborator, first befriending the guitarist and songwriter as a teenager. Born in 1939, Allison grew up in the small towns of Plainview and Lubbock, Texas, cultivating an interest in music from a young age. He met Holly in middle school, and the pair remained friends through the rest of their school years, bonding over their shared musical interests. 

Holly and Allison played as a duo before bassist Joe B. Mauldin joined them as the Crickets in the mid-1950s. Allison co-wrote two hit songs with Holly: 1957’s “Peggy Sue” and “That’ll Be the Day.” He borrowed the name for the former from Peggy Sue Gerron, his then-girlfriend whom he’d later marry. Allison also claimed to have co-written “Not Fade Away,” alleging that producer Norman Petty replaced his name in the credits. Holly and the Crickets split amicably over management logistics in 1958, followed by his unexpected death in February 1959.

Remaining in Texas, Allison continued to record and perform with different iterations of the Crickets in addition to appearing on other artists’ records. In 1974, he joined Waylon Jennings on This Time after his former Lubbock associate had established himself as an outlaw country superstar. Allison played drums on Johnny Rivers’ L.A. Reggae in 1972, later contributing percussion to J.J. Cale’s 1976 album Troubadour. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Crickets in 2012.