Jimmy Buffett, whose music and island-flavored lifestyle inspired a fan base with its own name, "Parrotheads," and a successful career as a restaurateur, author, philanthropist, actor and merchandiser, died Friday at age 76 at home in Sag Harbor, New York from Merkel Cell Skin Cancer.
A statement on his social media early Saturday morning said he “passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs. He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many.”
The photo posted with the statement shows a frail Buffett sailing, most likely off the coast of Sag Harbor, New York where he lived in the summer.
Buffett had been hospitalized both in 2022 and 2023 for undisclosed ailments.
- He was born on Christmas 1946 in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
- He began his career as a country artist in Nashville in the 1960s, but added folk and rock to the mix by the time of his debut album, 1970's Down to Earth. While struggling to make it, he was a reporter for Billboard.
- A year later, moved to Key West, Florida and adopted a laid-back beach bum persona to go along with a more eclectic musical style that incorporated calypso and other forms of tropical music.
- His sixth album in 1977, Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude, featured his breakthrough and eventual signature hit, "Margaritaville."
- "Margaritaville" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry in 2023, and is considered by some to be the "most lucrative song ever written" due to all the merchandise it spawned.
- Buffett toured heavily in the 1980s and also opened his first Margaritaville merchandise store and Café. All told, he did over 40 tours in his 50+ year career.
- He called his most popular songs "The Big 8," and played them at nearly every concert. They are: "Margaritaville," "Come Monday," "Fins," "Volcano," "A Pirate Looks at Forty," "Cheeseburger in Paradise," "Why Don’t We Get Drunk" and "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes."
- He launched Radio Margaritaville online in 1998 and it's been on SiriusXM since 2005.
- His 2003 duet with country star Alan Jackson, "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere," topped the country charts for eight weeks.
- His 2004 album License to Chill gave him his only Billboard 200 chart-topper and became the first of three number-one country albums, followed by Take the Weather With You in 2006, and 2020's Life on the Flip Side.
- His musical, Escape to Margaritaville had a brief run on Broadway in 2018.
- Jimmy also tried his hand at acting with a recurring role as helicopter pilot Frank Bama on Hawaii Five-O as well as appearances in the 2015 film Jurassic World, on the CBS drama NCIS: New Orleans, and he played himself in the 2019 film, The Beach Bum.
- In a career that spanned 59 years, he released 31 studio albums, nine compilation albums, 14 live albums, eight specialty albums, and 67 singles.
- He sold over 20-million albums worldwide with the U.S. accounting for 99 percent.
- As an author, he had three number-one best sellers: the short-stories collection, Tales From Margaritaville, the novel, Where Is Joe Merchant?, and his biography, A Pirate Looks at Fifty.
- Buffett was also a pilot, sailor, fisherman, loved stand up paddle boarding, and was a big fan of the NFL's New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins, and MLB's Chicago Cubs.
- Earlier this year his net worth was reported to be around a billion dollars.
- He split his time between homes in Florida, California, Long Island, New York, and St. Barts.
- In May he was forced to cancel his show in Charleston, South Carolina, saying, “Two days ago, I was just back from a trip to the Bahamas… I had to stop in Boston for a check-up but wound up back in the hospital to address some issues that needed immediate attention. Growing old is not for sissies, I promise you. I also will promise you, that when I am well enough to perform, that is what I’ll be doing... You all make my life more meaningful and fulfilled than I would have ever imagined as a tow headed little boy sitting on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts, your amazing years of loyalty, and just remember, ‘NOT YET!’ Love to you all.” And, following his discharge from the hospital he said, "Thank you for the outpouring of support and well wishes..." adding that he's now going "for a fishing trip with old friends, along with paddling and sailing [to] get myself back in good shape. Once I am in shape, we will look at the when’s and where’s of shows. I think playing is as therapeutic for me as it is for fans to listen and sing along..."
- He last performed on July 2nd when he made a surprise appearance, joining his Coral Reefer Band guitarist Mac McAnally on stage in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. McAnally was performing “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” when he changed the lyric to sing, “At a moment like this, I can’t help but wonder what would Jimmy Buffett do?” That’s when Buffett came out and said, “I would come play for you.” Despite the 45-minute performance, Buffett had previously canceled his show on July 6th at Summerfest in Milwaukee, although no reason was given. His last concert with his band was May 6th in San Diego.
- His new album, Equal Strain on All Parts, is scheduled to be out in the fall featuring. One of the songs is "My Gummie Just Kicked In," whose title was what Paul McCartney's wife Nancy said to Buffett during dinner at Buffett's Long Island, New York home. Paul plays on the song.
- He is survived by his second wife, Jane Slagsvol, who he met and married in the late 1970s, separated from in the early '80s and reconciled with in 1991. They have three children, Savannah (born in 1979), Sarah (born in 1992) and Cameron (adopted in 1994).
Paul McCartney, President Biden and Elton John are among those paying tribute to Jimmy Buffett who died on Friday night at his home in Sag Harbor, New York from Merkel Cell Skin Cancer at the age of 76.