On This Day in 1997, Jeff Buckley’s Body Was Tragically Found in The Mississippi River After a Six Day Search

Before Jeff Buckley passed away at 30 years old, he graced the music scene with a velvet touch thanks to his sentimentally epic songs “Hallelujah”, “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over”, and “Grace”. Although, on this day, June 4, 1997, Buckley was confirmed deceased far too early, as the singer’s body was found floating in the Mississippi River after he went missing six days prior on May 29.

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Keith Foti, a roadie in Buckley’s band, was the last person to see him alive. Foti reported that Buckley had jumped into the Wolf River Harbor (a channel of the Mississippi) fully clothed while signing the chorus to Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love”. Foti had turned around for a second, and after that, Buckley had disappeared in the wake of a passing boat.

Subsequently, officials and authorities conducted an extensive search that night. The initial search failed, the following search failed, and the following searches after that failed as well. However, on this day in 1997, passengers on the American Queen riverboat saw a body caught in some branches. They then called the authorities, and Buckley’s road manager, Gene Bowen, identified the body. No drugs or alcohol were found in Buckley’s system. That being so, the Shelby County Medical Examiner ruled the death an accidental drowning, per All That is Interesting.

Jeff Buckley’s Erratic Behavior Before His Passing

Before officials released Buckley’s autopsy and announced the official cause of death, many people believed this to be an irrational act or a desperate call for help. Both of these conclusions made sense on the surface and had happened before. Furthermore, years later, Jeff Buckley’s manager, Dave Lory, divulged that Buckley had been “acting erratically” before his passing, per NPR.

In more detail, Dave Lory stated, “He was trying to buy a house that wasn’t for sale. He was trying to buy a car that wasn’t for sale. He proposed to Joan [Wasser, Buckley’s girlfriend]” and “he even applied for a job to be a butterfly keeper at the Memphis Zoo – a lot of weird stuff that was uncharacteristic for him.”

Though per the autopsy, Jeff Buckley’s death was merely an accident. An accident that brought on the early demise of one of the most talented muscians of the 1990s. After his death, Jeff Buckley’s family spread his ashes in the Memphis Zoo and placed a plaque of his name overlooking the zoo’s Sumatran Tigers exhibit.

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