The Big Bopper was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Beaumont, Texas, his home where he had been a DJ.
Thomas Kreason, Director of the Texas Musicians Museum in Hillsboro, Texas, says that the exhumation and relocation of Richardson's body "was initiated and paid for by the state of Texas so the state could erect fitting a monument in his honor."
The Bopper's 48-year-old casket was unearthed in 2007 and was reported to be in good condition with a few rust spots. The corpse was well-preserved and recognizable as the Big Bopper.
Jay Richardson, the Bopper's son who was born after his father died, wanted an autopsy to make sure that the Bopper wasn't shot, a rumor that persisted at the time. The autopsy revealed that the Bopper died of massive injuries suffered in the plane crash.
A new casket was donated by the Batesville Casket Company, the company that made the original coffin. It is sapphire blue and modern, made of metal. The Bopper and his wife were reburied in Beaumont's Forest Lawn Cemetery in 2007.
All of the fabric that was in the original casket was burned and the coffin was thoroughly cleaned. The casket then went to the Texas Musicians Museum.