On the sands of Margaritaville, Jimmy Buffett, a singer, songwriter, and storyteller who enthralled millions with his stories of island life and love, died suddenly on Friday. Age-wise, he was 76. On his website, he posted a statement that said, “Jimmy passed away peacefully at home on the evening of September 1st, surrounded by his family, friends, music, and his beloved dogs.” The final chapter of his life unfolded like a beautifully composed song, and his absence leaves a void that will be deeply felt by countless hearts.
Although the reason and place of Buffett’s death were not mentioned in the statement, two reliable sources told ABC News that Buffett was fighting cancer when he passed away. One of them said, “The family is devastated; this all happened suddenly.”
Buffett, who named his music label “Gulf and Western,” is best known for the 1977 album “Margaritaville,” which made him a household name and a significant player in the development of American music.
The song became a cultural phenomenon that spawned apparel lines, radio stations, restaurants, and resorts, as well as alcoholic beverages, salad dressings, and salsa. As Forbes noted earlier this year, he also played a huge role in turning it into a billion-dollar brand.
Buffett, however, sang that he had “Made enough money to buy Miami, but I pissed it away so fast” in the song “A Pirate Looks at Forty,” which seemed to be an embrace of his commercial endeavors. Never intended to endure, never intended to endure.
Buffett was nominated for two Grammy Awards: one for “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” a duet with country music icon Alan Jackson, and the other for “Hey Good Lookin’,” a Hank Williams classic.
Elton John was one of several celebrities to applaud Buffett, who is known to his adoring audience as “Parrotheads.” In an Instagram story, Elton John referred to him as “unique and precious entertainment.” “He was adored by his followers and never let them down. A beautiful man has left us today, which is a really sad day, John wrote.
On Instagram, actor Miles Teller and Buffett, also known as X, posted a number of images together. Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys also posted on Twitter with the message, “Love and mercy, Jimmy Buffett.
Many people allude to the phrase from one of Buffett’s songs that goes, “But there’s booze in the blender, And soon it will render, That frozen concoction that helps me hang on, And, yes, I will hang on.” to remember Buffett.
He studied at the University of Southern Mississippi before moving to Auburn University in Alabama. After learning to play the guitar in college, he started playing in the streets of New Orleans.
According to his biography, Buffett didn’t discover his genuine voice until the 1970s, while he was living in Key West, Florida.
He was originally given permission to reside at Jerry Jeff Walker’s Coconut Grove house, and Walker then brought him to Key West in 1971 to introduce him to Miami University students and receive an honorary doctorate in music from the school in May 2015.
Under his academic robe, he was wearing flip-flops. ” As I stood on that expansive, wooden stage, gazing out at the world, I knew my life had embarked on a transformative journey,” he remarked.
He spent more than five decades in the music business touring and recording with the Coral Reefer Band, releasing 27 studio albums (four platinum and eight gold).
Along with writing fiction and non-fiction works like “Tales from Margaritaville,” “A Pirate Looks At Fifty,” and “Where Is Joe Merchant?” he also made appearances on television and in films, appeared in them, and even dabbled in musicals.
According to IMDB, he played the role of “Margarita Drinker with Gun” in the movie “Jurassic World.” In the movie, he might be seen carrying a shotgun in one hand and a margarita in the other.
Buffett also had a cameo on Tom Selleck’s television program “Blue Bloods,” when he portrayed himself and conned viewers into thinking he was a singer.
In 2017, “Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville,” a Broadway musical based on his music, made its debut.
In a recent interview, Buffett said that his mother, Mary Lorraine Buffett, who also had literary ambitions, was the source of his lifelong passion for reading.
With a knowing smile, he shared, “She understood that through the pages of our books, we would explore the world and grow larger than life, a profound gift indeed.
He gave some of his time to philanthropic endeavors as well, forming the “Save the Manatee Club,” a non-profit organization whose goal is to save the huge, docile sea creatures against boat strikes and other harm caused by people.
What’s still on your bucket list? was a question Buffett was asked in a 2017 interview with Maine’s Journal. “I have four things left to do: Take up hang gliding. Enter space. Return to the Abacos, the ancestral home of my Buffett ancestors.