HE SAID HE’D BE BACK SOON… BUT THE SKY HAD OTHER PLANS. On October 12, 1997, John Denver stepped into a small experimental plane near Monterey Bay, California. The sky looked calm, the ocean quiet. Before taking off, he smiled, joked about the weather, and softly hummed the kind of melody that once carried listeners across mountains, rivers, and open roads. To friends nearby, it was just another short flight. “I’ll be back soon,” he said. But somewhere above the place where the Pacific meets the sky, something changed. A brief radio message came through — calm, routine — and then the signal faded into silence. Hours passed as the world waited, hoping the gentle voice behind so many beloved songs would return safely. That day, the ocean did not just take an airplane. It took a voice that had taught millions how to love the beauty of places they had never seen. Yet somehow, John Denver never truly left — his songs still drift across rivers, valleys, and open highways. Which John Denver song still brings back memories for you today?
HE SAID HE’D BE BACK SOON… BUT THE SKY HAD OTHER PLANS On October 12, 1997, John Denver stepped into…