On the morning of October 12, 1997, John Denver woke up early in Monterey, California. The skies were clear. The sea was calm. No one, not even him, knew it would be his last day on Earth.
Before leaving his seaside home to fly his experimental Long-EZ aircraft, he sat quietly by the window. He opened his worn leather-bound journal — the one he always carried — and wrote a few final lines.
Not a goodbye — but a reflection on life and love
“I miss Dad. I miss our first flights. The sky looks so kind today. If I don’t return, know I flew for love.”
Those were the last words written in John Denver’s journal, later found in his backpack after the crash. They weren’t written for fame, nor for himself — but for those he loved.
In his final years, John withdrew from the spotlight. He spent more time with family, nature, and flying — his second passion after music. Despite warnings about the risks, he chose to live with intensity. Just like he once sang:
“I’d rather be a cowboy than lay down and die.”
When the last song wasn’t sung — it was written, quietly, with ink and heart
No song was recorded that day. But his journal became the final melody he left the world.
Though never officially published, his family confirmed the truth of the final entry. Part of it read like a silent farewell: “If I go, don’t grieve. I lived with every ounce of love I had.”
🎵 Suggested listening: John Denver “Flying for Me” – a tribute he once wrote for fallen astronauts, now hauntingly echoes as his own goodbye.
Well I guess that you probably know by now I was one who wanted to fly I wanted to ride on that arrow of fire right up into heaven And I wanted to go for every man Every child, every mother of children I wanted to carry the dreams of all people right up to the stars
And I prayed that I’d find an answer there Or maybe I would find a song Giving a voice to all of the hearts that cannot be heard And for all of the ones who live in fear And all of those who stand apart My being there would bring us a little step closer together
They were flying for me They were flying for everyone They were trying to see a brighter day for each and everyone
They gave us their light They gave us their spirit and all they could be They were flying for me They were flying for me
And I wanted to wish on the Milky Way And dance upon a falling star I wanted to give myself and free myself, and join myself with it all
Given the chance to dream, it can be done The promise of tomorrow is real Children of spaceship Earth The future belongs to us all
She was flying for me She was flying for everyone She was trying to see a brighter day for each and everyone
She gave us her light She gave us her spirit and all she can be She was flying for me They were flying for me They were flying for everyone They were trying to see a brighter day for each and everyone They gave us their light They gave us their spirit and all they could be They were flying for me.
