Halleluja
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Jeff Buckley's Death In The Mississippi River: A Tragic Story
Jeff Buckley, who is still remembered for his
rendition of "Hallelujah," perished on May 29, 1997, at the age of
barely 30 after wading into the Mississippi.
Nobody saw Jeff Buckley's passing. The musician, now
well-known for his cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," entered a
Mississippi River channel while fully clothed on May 29, 1997, in Memphis,
Tennessee. When his roadie, who was standing on the bank, turned his back to
transfer a boombox away from the edge of the water, Buckley just vanished.
On June 4, Buckley was discovered dead. He had just
six weeks left until turning 31. A passenger on the riverboat American Queen
had discovered him. He had perished in the dangerous waters of the Mississippi
River, ending a career as a talented soul singer who undoubtedly had a bright
future in front of him.
But concerns persisted in the wake of Jeff Buckley's
passing. Had Buckley been intoxicated or high when he disregarded his roadie's
advice and dove into the water? Or had the pressure of creating a follow-up to
his critically praised 1994 debut, Grace, caused him to stray dangerously far
from land?
This is the real account of Jeff Buckley's death,
ranging from tales of his erratic conduct prior to his death through the
unexpected findings of his autopsy.
When Jeffrey Scott Buckley was born on November 17,
1966, music was in his blood. His mother, pianist Mary Guibert, had received
classical training. His father, singer Tim Buckley, had his first of nine
albums released the year before his son was born.
Although Jeff would continue in his father's
footsteps, Tim's absence from his boyhood shaped Jeff. Tim left the family the
year he was born.
In 1993, Jeff admitted to The New York Times, "I
never knew him." When I was eight years old, I once had the opportunity to
meet him. I didn't even get a chance to speak with him when we went to visit
him because he was in his room working. The end was reached.
Tim passed away from a heroin, morphine, and alcohol
overdose just two months after that meeting. As a result, Jeff was raised by
his mother and stepfather, Ron Moorhead, and for a time even adopted the
Moorhead surname. Before he turned ten, "Jeff Buckley" went by the
name "Scott Moorhead."
Even Nevertheless, Jeff Buckley found it difficult to
fully transcend his father's influence. He shared his parents' love of music
and appeared to have musical talent. He experimented with many genres and went
to the Los Angeles Musicians Institute. And Jeff Buckley accepted the
invitation to perform in a Brooklyn, New York, concert honouring the life of
his father.
Hill's statement was backed up by another
acquaintance, Penny Arcade, who told the publication that Buckley "was
really going through a lot of adjustments regarding the upcoming album, feeling
a lot of pressure. He just turned 30 years old. I just want to be as good as my
father, he added, looking shaken and unhappy.
After throwing away a number of tracks produced by Tom
Verlaine, the singer ultimately made the decision to travel to Memphis,
Tennessee to record his second album, which is now going by the working title
My Sweetheart the Drunk.
Tragically, on the night his band was set to arrive,
Jeff Buckley drowned in the Mississippi River.
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