Jeff Buckley was supposed to be recording the tracks for the follow-up to his breakout debut album, 1994’s Grace. But he and fellow musician and roadie Keith Foti couldn’t find the studio. They drove around Memphis, Tennessee, until twilight to no avail, so they decided to head down to the river to pass the time.

According to Rolling Stone, Foti warned Buckley as he waded out into the muddy waters of the Wolf River Harbor, a tidal water channel of the Mississippi River. “You can’t swim in that water,” he told his friend. “What are you doing, man?”

But Buckley wouldn’t listen. He was young—his 31st birthday just six months away—and at the beginning of what promised to be a spectacular career. He must have thought himself invincible. Rather than heed his worried friend’s warning, Buckley sang along to Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” on the radio as he pushed out into the water.

Foti saw a boat coming Buckley’s way and shouted for him to steer clear. Buckley evaded the vessel, but then a larger one passed by. Foti turned to save the radio from the boat’s wake as it splashed ashore, and when he turned back toward the river, there was no sign of the fully clothed swimmer. That was the last Keith Foti would ever see of his friend. His body was spotted five days later by someone aboard a passing riverboat.

The eerily prophetic lyrics on Buckley's debut album

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