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Latest News: Jimmy Buffett Passes Away at Age 76
Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, best known for his hit song “Margaritaville,” passed away on September 1, 2023, at the age of 76. According to a statement on his official website, Buffett had been undergoing treatment for Merkel Cell skin cancer for four years. Following hospitalization in May for an undisclosed condition, he paused his touring schedule but continued to work on a new album and made a surprise appearance on stage in Rhode Island this past July.
Who Was Jimmy Buffett?
Born in 1946 in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and raised in Alabama, Jimmy Buffett moved to Nashville, Tennessee, after college to pursue a career in country music. He released his debut album in 1970 and quickly garnered a dedicated following. His breakthrough came with the sixth album, which featured the iconic song “Margaritaville.” Released in 1977, this hit not only launched Buffett into the mainstream but also became the cornerstone of his expansive business ventures. Over his career, Buffett released approximately 40 albums and remained a prominent touring artist until his passing in September 2023.
Early Life and Career
Jimmy Buffett, born James William Buffett on December 25, 1946, in Pascagoula, Mississippi, spent his formative years in Mobile, Alabama, where he attended Catholic high school. He later attended the University of Southern Mississippi, where he began playing guitar to meet women. Following graduation, Buffett moved to Nashville to pursue a music career but initially worked as a journalist for Billboard magazine. After collaborating with a cover band called The Now Generation, he secured his first record contract in 1970. That year, he released his folk-country debut, Down to Earth, followed by High Cumberland Jubilee, both of which received minimal attention.
Mainstream Musical Success with “Margaritaville”
In the early 1970s, drawn to the ocean, Buffett relocated to Key West, where he embraced his signature beachcomber persona. After signing with ABC-Dunhill, he released White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean in 1973. With party anthems like “Why Don’t We Get Drunk,” Buffett cultivated a devoted fanbase who enjoyed the relaxed vibe of his live performances. His followers, dubbed “Parrotheads,” often traveled in large groups to his concerts, donning Hawaiian shirts.
Buffett achieved mainstream success with his sixth album, Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes, released in 1977. This album included the timeless party anthem “Margaritaville,” inspired by a night of drinking margaritas at a bar in Austin, Texas. Buffett famously penned the song on a cocktail napkin and debuted it later that evening at a bar in Key West. “Margaritaville” became his only Top 10 entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The subsequent 1978 album, Son of a Son of a Sailor, featured another classic, “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” and, like its predecessor, achieved platinum status within a year of release.
Margaritaville: The Business
Following a successful lawsuit against the Chi-Chi’s restaurant chain, which sought to trademark a “Margaritaville” drink special, Jimmy Buffett leveraged his beach-bum persona to create a thriving business empire. In 1985, he launched the first Margaritaville store in Key West, and by 1987, a restaurant followed suit.
Buffett’s partnership with John Cohlan in the 1990s catalyzed significant expansion, leading to the opening of additional restaurants and the introduction of a tequila brand and Land Shark beer. Over the years, the Margaritaville brand has diversified into various sectors, including beach apparel, footwear, casinos, a chain of bars, a radio station, a cruise ship, and even a musical. Today, the brand boasts 30 resorts and hotels across nine states and five tropical countries. Reports from The New York Times and Bloomberg indicate that the company generated annual sales of $1.5 billion prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Buffett also ventured into the music industry by founding Margaritaville Records in 1992 and Mailboat Records in 1999, along with authoring several books.
More Songs and Albums
Margaritaville Records was instrumental in producing two of Buffett’s most successful albums of the 1990s: Fruitcakes (1994) and Banana Wind (1996).
In the 2000s, Buffett enjoyed fruitful collaborations with prominent country artists. His duet “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” with Alan Jackson won the CMA Award for Vocal Event of the Year in 2003 and received a Grammy nomination. The following year, the duo teamed up again for “Hey Good Lookin’,” featuring Clint Black, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, and George Strait, which garnered another Grammy nod. This track was also featured as the lead single on License to Chill (2004), Buffett’s only No. 1 album on the Billboard 200.
Buffett continued to release new music, including Songs from St. Somewhere (2013) and Life on the Flip Side (2020). In April 2023, “Margaritaville” was inducted into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry, joining a prestigious list of 625 preserved songs. Up until the months preceding his death, Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band performed numerous concerts nationwide.
Declining Health and Death
Jimmy Buffett passed away on September 1, 2023, at the age of 76 at his home in Long Island, New York. His website announced that he had been undergoing treatment for Merkel Cell skin cancer for four years. In the year leading up to his death, Buffett was hospitalized multiple times, including a brief hospitalization in September 2022 for unspecified health issues. He subsequently postponed three concerts and canceled two others on his Life on the Flip Side Redux tour, with a statement indicating that he needed to take time to recuperate and heal.
He successfully returned to the stage with his Second Wind Tour in February 2023. However, in May, he unexpectedly postponed a show in Charleston, South Carolina, citing a need for immediate medical attention following a check-up in Boston. In a heartfelt social media post, Buffett remarked, “Growing old is not for sissies.”
His final onstage appearance occurred in early July in Rhode Island, where he made a surprise guest performance at a concert by longtime Coral Reefer Band member Mac McAnally.
Personal Life: Wife, Children, and Interests
In 1977, Buffett married Jane Slagsvol, with whom he had two daughters, Savannah and Sarah, and one son, Cameron. Jane was Buffett’s second wife; he was previously married to Margie Washichek from 1969 to 1972.
Buffett maintained a residence in Palm Beach, Florida, where he was an enthusiastic sailor and pilot. An outspoken advocate for environmental conservation, his commitment to the cause was honored when scientists named a newly discovered crustacean, Gnathia jimmybuffetti, after him, highlighting his connection to the Florida Keys.