Buckley, of course, never got to see the impact Grace would have on the world. He drowned in the Wolf River Harbor in Memphis on May 29, 1997, at the age of 30. His autopsy ruled it an accident.

The great promise of Jeff Buckley was always part of his tragedy. In 1997, while swimming in a tributary of the Mississippi, he was swept under the water by the wake of a passing tugboat and drowned.

When Jeff Buckley died at 30 on May 29, 1997, he left behind one album that was to become one of the most admired, even beloved, records of the late 20th century.

Jeff Buckley's only studio album, "Grace," turns 30 this month. NPR's Adrian Ma talks with Rolling Stone writer Brittany Spanos and musician Tony Bernardo about the album's enduring legacy.

On this day in 1994, Jeff Buckley's 'Grace' was released in the United States. Though his voice dripped with heartache, a levity and flick of hope always weaved between the woe.

Jeff Buckley's only studio album, "Grace," turns 30 this month. NPR's Adrian Ma talks with Rolling Stone writer Brittany Spanos and musician Tony Bernardo about the album's enduring legacy.

Jeff Buckley's only studio album, "Grace," turns 30 this month. NPR's Adrian Ma talks with Rolling Stone writer Brittany Spanos and musician Tony Bernardo about the album's enduring legacy.

Jeff Buckley once told his manager, Dave Lory, that he wanted to make 18 albums in three years. Sadly, he only made one before he died in 1997. The first time Lory met Buckley was in a coffee shop ...

Jeff Buckley's only studio album, "Grace," turns 30 this month. NPR's Adrian Ma talks with Rolling Stone writer Brittany Spanos and musician Tony Bernardo about the album's enduring legacy.

Jeff Buckley's only studio album, "Grace," turns 30 this month. NPR's Adrian Ma talks with Rolling Stone writer Brittany Spanos and musician Tony Bernardo about the album's enduring legacy.

Jeff Buckley's only studio album, "Grace," turns 30 this month. NPR's Adrian Ma talks with Rolling Stone writer Brittany Spanos and musician Tony Bernardo about the album's enduring legacy.

Jeff Buckley's only studio album, "Grace," turns 30 this month. NPR's Adrian Ma talks with Rolling Stone writer Brittany Spanos and musician Tony Bernardo about the album's enduring legacy.