Legendary singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, best known for his song “Margaritaville,” has died, a statement posted to his website and social media channels said Saturday. He was 76.
“Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” the statement said.
“He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many,” it added.
“Margaritaville,” Buffetts’ most recognized song, inspired restaurants and resorts, and helped make Buffett a multimillionaire. In 2016, he placed at No. 13 in Forbes’ America’s Richest Celebrities with a net worth of $550 million.
Fans, affectionately dubbed “Parrotheads,” were quick to pay tribute to the singer on his Facebook page.
“I am so sad. His music was such a big part of my life,” Rene Wolf-Bornstein wrote. “The music will live on.”
Another Brett Davis called it “a sad day,” adding that Buffett’s music was “truly part of the soundtrack of my life.”
Some fans quoted “Margaritaville” which was released in 1977 and according to his website, launched him into national fame and into the history of American music.
Many also quoted links to “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.”
Buffett was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, a town on the Gulf Coast, on Christmas Day 1946.
After learning guitar at college he began playing on the streets of New Orleans before going on to form his first band, the biography on his website says.
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 in the 1970s that Buffett “found his true voice,” the biography adds.
Fellow country singer 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 under the academic robes.
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