Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly died on February 3rd of 1959. Before his death, Buddy was not popular among the public: he never was a top bill for any of his performances and he never had a vigil service (TIME).
Promo picture for Buddy Holly.
Photo by Brunswick Records, CC by 2.0
All of this changed with Buddy Holly's hit "It Doesn't Matter Anymore". After months of the song being very average on charts while he was alive, it ended up reaching number 13 on the posthumously (TIME).
Pacific Repertory Theatre's award-winning production of Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story.
Photo by Smartprt, CC by SA 3.0
Not only did "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" take off, but during the sixties, multiple albums were released posthumously that received very high praises (TIME). Also, bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones have been noted as bands that imitated Buddy's music (Rolling Stones).
Weezer prior to performing "Buddy Holly".
Photo by GeekRockChick24, CC by 2.0
Buddy Holly's Suit at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Taken by Sam HowzIt, CC by 2.0
Buddy Holly, despite only 3 albums and a limited amount of chart toppers, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986 (rockhall.com).