Valens in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Ritchie Valens, the Pacoima native who recorded such pop hits as “La Bamba” in an abbreviated career, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday.

Valens became the last of three rockers killed in a 1959 plane crash to join the Hall of Fame. Buddy Holly and J.P. Richardson (“The Big Bopper”) were the others. Voters had snubbed Valens in previous years, despite letter-writing campaigns by Valley fans.

In a career that lasted only eight months before his death at age 17, Valens hit the charts with “Donna,” a ballad of his own heartbreak, a rock take on the traditional Mexican song “La Bamba” and “Come On, Let’s Go.”

Ricky Martin inducted Valens into the Hall of Fame and sang a medley of his songs.

In accepting the honor, Valens’ sister, Connie Limos, said her brother is “the pride of Pacoima, the pride of Latinos everywhere. Viva Ritchie.”