The Voice of Jeff Buckley Defines the Word Grace

The phenomenally gifted singer died 25 years ago today

Jeff Buckley / Fair use

It was dusk on a warm spring evening when a fully clothed Jeff Buckley, singing “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin at the top of his lungs, dove into the Mississippi River.

Six months shy of his 31st birthday, it would be the last time anyone saw him alive.

Buckley and a musician friend, Keith Foti, were killing time that evening, driving around, listening to music, when the idea to go down to the river came about. Equipped with nothing more than a boombox, the pair parked their truck in downtown Memphis and walked down to the shoreline.

Buckley had been described as occasionally unpredictable and impetuous, much like the muddy waters he dove into the night of May 29, 1997. As he backstroked further out into the river, Foti remained onshore, yelling to his friend to “get out of the way” of a small boat that was approaching. Buckley swam out of the way, but then a larger boat appeared, creating a wake that surged toward the shore. Foti turned to move the boombox, an…