In spring of 1997, I was 14 and graduating from 8th grade. A monumental moment for a newly established teenager. May of the same year, musician Jeff Buckley died either by an accidental drowning or intentional suicide. Based on the latest HBO documentary, It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley, his family and friends want to believe it wasn’t intentional. But in the two weeks prior to the drowning, he contacted various old friends and family, lending slight doubt about the cause of the horrific accident.
I wouldn’t learn about the existence of Jeff Buckley until three years after his death. Sometime after escaping Y2K, I read an interview with musician John Mayer, where he endlessly praised Buckley’s voice, songwriting, and guitar playing. Being 17 and crushing hard on Mayer, I immediately went on Limewire and illegally downloaded Grace, the only studio album Buckley would ever make. When he died in 1997, he was only 30 years old.
In early 2025, It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, 28 years after the tragic loss of the singer/songwriter. In the documentary directed by Amy Berg, we hear from ex-girlfriends, fellow musicians (Aimee Mann, Ben Harper, Chris Cornell), and most importantly his mother, Mary Guibert. Although Guibert raised Buckley alone, her significance is often overshadowed by the ghost of his father, cult folk singer Tim Buckley, who also died heartbreakingly young at the age of 28 from a heroin overdose. The two didn’t have much of a relationship. When Tim died, Jeff wasn’t mentioned in his obituary, and the film highlights the younger Buckley’s desire not to be compared to his dad.
Guibert, Buckley’s mother, immigrated with her family from Panama and met his dad in high school. The two were married, and Guibert was pregnant by 17. According to the HBO documentary, Tim left to pursue his own career in music. Even though his mother was the most prominent parent in his life, her Latina roots aren’t often associated with Buckley’s legacy. I didn’t learn about his connection to Central America until watching Berg’s documentary, and I’ve been a substantial fan for over twenty years now.
While he only achieved moderate success in the United States, while alive, he was adored overseas in Europe. An innumerable number of artists have since credited Buckley as an influence or inspiration. It’s Never Over highlights quotes from David Bowie and Brad Pitt, plus the aforementioned praise from Mayer. Celebrities still love Jeff Buckley.
Although he didn’t want to be remembered for his covers, his most famous song is probably his hauntingly beautiful, seemingly vulnerable, and surely intimate rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” The song, it seems, is mandatory for every musician to cover at least once in their lifetime. Even though every possible version of the track has been done and re-mixed, Buckley’s remains special.
Objectively, a beautiful man and a beautiful Latino man at that, Buckley’s appearance landed him at least one mention amongst the most attractive people of 1995 in People magazine – a label he wanted distance from. It’s hard to separate the face from the music when they seemingly sync so well. Even though it’s been almost 30 years since his passing, his divinely delicate photogenic features and supernatural voice continue to ripple and reverb throughout the zeitgeist, continuing his cultural impact. A feat few men accomplish in their lifetimes, let alone one cut so tragically short.
Who knew reading an interview with John Mayer when I was 17 would impact my relationship with music as much as it has. That’s the power of discovering Jeff Buckley, a moment I hope, with help from Berg’s documentary, will happen to many more new people every day for generations to come.
