Mother: 'Buckley would have matched Bono'

Jeff Buckley's mother believes that her son would have had the same success as Bono if he were still alive today.

Mary Guibert has claimed that her son, who tragically drowned in 1997, was gifted enough to match the achievements of the U2 frontman.

"If Jeff had lived, he would now be on a level with Bono," she told The Independent.

"He would have toured the world and had a lifelong career, and at the end of it, he would have been that guy sitting in a wheelchair with the microphone specially lowered six inches, so that we could all hear him sing 'Hallelujah' one more time."

Guibert also admitted that her son would have been amused that his rendition of the Leonard Cohen classic made it to number two in the Christmas charts.

"I think Jeff would have found this Number One thing very amusing. It's ironic in so many ways. I mean, here is The X Factor, run by Simon Cowell, who is supposed to be the ultimate taste arbiter, and they've been run to the wire by my son.

"It's come about so organically, with no record label pushing it, and I think Jeff would have loved that, and loved his fans for doing it."