Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, whose laid-back, good-humored, often tropically-themed brand of country-laced pop spawned a lucrative one-man business empire, died Friday. He was 76. A cause of death was not immediately released.
Buffett’s death was confirmed through a statement on his official website: “Jimmy 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.”
Born in Pascagoula, Mississippi on Christmas Day in 1946, James William Buffett didn’t pick up a guitar until his freshman year of college, where he earned a degree in history. He recorded his first album, 1970’s “Down to Earth,” in Nashville, Tennessee while working for “Billboard” magazine as a correspondent. Five other albums followed, each of which enjoyed modest sales and radio airplay. The exception was the 1974 “Billboard” Hot 100 top-40 single “Come Monday,” from Buffett’s third album, “Living and Dying in 3/4 Time.”
But it was Jimmy Buffett’s breakthrough seventh album, 1977’s “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes,” that made him a star, on the strength of the album’s hit single, “Margaritaville.” Sung from the perspective of a man “wasting away” the summer season at a beach resort while questioning his life and romantic choices, “Margaritaville” was a top-10 “Billboard” hit and became Buffett’s signature song.
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.
In 2018, “Escape to Margaritaville” debuted on Broadway to mixed reviews and closed after five months; the musical continued as a touring production.
With the 2020 release of his final album,”Life on the Flipside,” Buffett spoke about the song “Live Like It’s Your Last Day,” which he said was inspired by his 1994 plane crash and a stage fall in 2011.
His biggest latter-day singles were collaborations that found success on the country singles charts. A duet with Alan Jackson, “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” was No. 1 nationally in 2003, garnering a CMA Award as vocal event of the year. A 2004 version of Hank Williams’ “Hey Good Lookin’,” cut with Jackson, Clint Black, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, George Strait, rose to No. 8. In 2011, he reached No. 1 again alongside the Zac Brown Band on “Knee Deep.”
Buffett is survived by his second wife Jane, their two daughters, Sarah and Savannah, and son, Cameron.
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