Jimmy Buffett dies at 76

The singer passed away on September 1st

Jimmy Buffett has died at the age of 76. The “Margaritaville” singer had been on hospice after being sick for some time. His family shared the news on Saturday (Sept 2nd).

“Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” a notice on his website reads. “He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many.”

The beloved singer-songwriter passed away at his home in Sag Harbor, Long Island, his website states. Buffett had been fighting Merkel Cell skin cancer, a rare form, for four years. He continued to perform during treatment, playing his last show, a surprise appearance in Rhode Island, in early July.

Buffett is survived by his wife of 46 years, Jane (Slagsvol) Buffett, his daughters Savannah Jane (Joshua) and Sarah Delaney, his son Cameron Marley (Lara), his grandson Marley Ray and devoted pack of dogs Lola, Kingston, Pepper, Rosie, Ajax and Kody. Also survived by his Montana sister, Laurie Buffett McGuane (Tom), their children Heather Hume, Anne Buffett McGuane, Maggie McGuane and Thomas McGuane IV; his Alabama sister, Lucy Buffett and daughters Mara Delaney Buffett O’Dwyer and Melanie Leigh Buffett; and many more wonderful cousins, nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Jimmy Buffett’s Foundation Singing for Change, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute or MD Anderson Cancer Center.

A new album is set for release this fall with his SiriusXM channel Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville giving a sneak peek each Friday at 5 pm ET. The channel will also be paying homage to its namesake with tributes.

Though he began his career as a country-folk artist in Nashville in the late 1960s, it was after an early ‘70s move to Key West that Buffett seemed to find the direction, niche and even persona that would not only endure but also endear him to many generations. Buffett seemed to have created his own genre of music, one that takes life easy, enjoys the beach, the sun, the wind and waves, no matter where one happens to be. It was Buffett’s second release, 1973’s “A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean” that began his transformation but it became fully realized in 1977 with the release of the LP Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes. And that was thanks largely to its breakthrough song “Margaritaville.” The song stayed on industry charts from April to September, scoring with pop and country audiences alike, as well as teenagers and adults. And, today, its lyrics are as memorized as any song in history, “Margaritaville” is as well known and omnipresent as ever — a regular component of bars, beach parties, karaoke and any place cool vibes are required.

By 1977, it was a Top 10 hit and has since become a pop culture staple and the namesake of a chain of businesses and products — including books, restaurants, a radio channel, a cruise line, and 55-and-older living communities — that Buffett had overseen. Initially, though, he said he was just delighted to have a hit song on a hit record and be “actually making money.”

His legion of fans is known as Parrotheads.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn