American pop singer Ricky Nelson died during the crash-landing of his band's aircraft on December 31, 1985. The plane, a Douglas DC-3, was brought down mid-flight outside De Kalb, Texas, by a fire that rapidly spread from a suspected faulty in-cabin heater.

The most prominent celebrity who died in a plane crash in 1985 was the legendary singer and actor Rick Nelson (also known as Ricky Nelson). On December 31, 1985, Nelson was traveling from Guntersville, Alabama, to a New Year's Eve performance in Dallas, Texas, when his privately owned Douglas DC-3 caught fire mid-flight. The aircraft attempted an emergency landing in a field near De Kalb, Texas, but struck trees and burst into flames upon impact. Rick Nelson was killed along with his fiancée, Helen Blair, and five members of his Stone Canyon Band. Only the two pilots survived the crash by escaping through the cockpit windows. The subsequent NTSB investigation concluded that the fire likely started in a faulty gasoline-fueled cabin heater, although rumors persisted for years about other causes. Rick Nelson was a massive cultural icon, having risen to fame on the TV show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet before becoming a rockabilly pioneer with hits like "Hello Mary Lou" and "Garden Party." His death on the final day of 1985 was a shocking end to the year for the music industry, and he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.