Jimmy Buffett, the singer-songwriter who drew millions of fans with his folksy tales of living and loving on tropical sandy beaches, frozen concoction in hand, died Friday night. He was 76.
“Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” the statement on his website said. “He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many.”
Buffett, who dubbed his brand of music “drunken Caribbean rock ‘n’ roll,” is arguably best known for “Margaritaville,” which was released in 1977 and launched him into national fame and into the history of American music.
The song went on to inspire a brand, which included restaurants and resorts, a radio station, clothing and apparel, as well as food and drink items like beer, tequila, salad dressings and salsa. IT also helped make him a billionaire, with Forbes this month placing his real-time net worth at $1 billion.
Buffett was also nominated for two Grammy Awards, for “Hey Good Lookin'” — a cover of the Hank Williams classic — and “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” a duet with country superstar Alan Jackson.
Fans, affectionately dubbed “Parrotheads,” were quick to pay tribute to the singer, who was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, on Christmas Day 1946.
Many cited “One Particular Harbor” when remembering the singer: “But there’s one particular harbor/ So far yet so near/ Where I see the days as they fade away/ And finally disappear.”
After learning guitar at college — he attended Alabama’s Auburn University before graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi with a degree in journalism — he began playing on the streets of New Orleans before going on to form his first band.
He later moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to work for Billboard Magazine and try his luck as a singer, the biography says. But it was in Key West, Florida, in the 1970s that Buffett “found his true voice,” according to his website.
Fellow country singer Jerry Jeff Walker first let him stay at his Coconut Grove home, and then they drove in a 1947 Packard to Key West, he told graduating students at the University of Miami, where he received an honorary doctorate in music in May 2015.
“Needless to say, my life took a big and wonderful change towards South Florida, which has a lot to do with why I’m standing here today,” he said, while wearing flip-flops under the academic robes.
He would go on to make 27 studio albums — with four platinum and eight gold albums — in a career that spanned over five decades.
As time went on, Buffett also appeared on TV, movies and his work became a musical.
Buffett popped up in the film “Jurassic World” as “running park visitor with margarita drinks,” as IMDB put it. He carried two, one in each hand.
And he guest-starred in the Tom Selleck show “Blue Bloods,” playing both himself and a virtual double who posed as the singer and scammed people.
There was also a Broadway show based on Buffett’s music, ” Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville,” which debuted in 2017.
Buffett was also the accomplished author of numerous books including “Tales from Margaritaville,” and “A Pirate Looks At Fifty,” as well as “Where Is Joe Merchant?”
He also dedicated some of his time to charity, starting the “Save he Manatee Club,” a non-profit that seeks to protect the large, docile marine mammals from boating injuries and harm by the actions of people.
In a 2017 interview with Men’s Journal, Buffett was asked what remained on his bucket list before he died. “I have four things: Learn to hang ten. Go to space. Go to Pitcairn Island, where my Buffett ancestors are from. And go to Antartica,” he said.
The singer is survived by his wife, Jane Slagsvol, two daughters, Savannah and Sarah, and son, Cameron.
— Christopher Cichiello and The Associated Press contributed.
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