25 Years After His Death, Jeff Buckley’s Mother, Mary Guibert, Talks About His Passing and Her Work With Road Recovery

When the singer/songwriter Jeff Buckley died mysteriously in Memphis, Tennessee, nearly 25 years ago on May 29, 1997, a giant hole formed in the hearts of music fans. Gone was the 30-year-old’s immaculate singing voice and his charm in the world of music.

But more significantly than that, it left a hole in the heart of his mother, Mary Guibert. However, Guibert wasn’t going to let the sadness of losing her son overtake her. She decided to be proactive.

The fruit of that determination is the non-profit organization Road Recovery, which Guibert co-founded with industry professionals and Buckley’s associates, Gene Bowen and Jack Bookbinder. Road Recovery works to help bring to light issues with addiction and young people in the music world with the hope of preventing unnecessary deaths like Buckley’s.

We caught up with Guibert to talk about her son and the work she’s done in the wake of his passing. These were not easy questions, nor were they easy answers. But we’re thankful for Guibert’s work and her responses in this interview.