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Jimmy’s Daughter Delaney Shares Touching Tribute

September 6th, 2023

On her Instagram on Wednesday evening, Jimmy Buffett’s daughter Delaney shared a moving tribute to her father.

“I knew my dad my whole life, but in his final days, I saw who he was: a man whose spirit could not be broken.

Despite the pain, he smiled everyday. He was kind when he had every excuse not to be. He told us not to be sad or scared, but to keep the party going. And as much as I’d like to use that as an excuse to drink myself into an oblivion worthy of his literary heroes, I know it’s not what he meant. Yes, he loved his weed and his wine, but the truth is, most of the time, he was just high on life, and that is what he wanted for everyone: to enjoy the fantastic trip that life can be.

My dad was the joy he sang about. He was the hardest working person I’ve ever seen. He was a great man and an even better dad to my brother, sister and me. He was generous with friends and strangers alike. He had a deep admiration for the people he worked with, and he never took himself too seriously, which is probably what I loved most about him. When I showed him the South Park episodes that parody him, he loved chuckling along. I remember teasing him about their Margaritaville blender jokes, and without missing a beat, he zinged me with: “You live off those fucking blenders!” He got me there.

Over the past few days, people have thanked me for sharing my dad with them, but I know he would have wanted me to thank his fans for sharing their lives with him. We are his family, but the stage was his home, and you, his band, and everyone on the road gave him the strength to keep going back. I’ll pass along something my mom said to me: “Whenever you feel said or lost, look for the messages in his music. There are plenty.”

My dad repeatedly told us how much he appreciated the doctors, nurses, and every person who was there for him during his battle with cancer. So to those who took care of my dad at home and in the hospital, I want to thank you for giving us more time together. I am eternally grateful.

To the family and friends supporting us during this time, thank you for reminding me of the importance of human connection. I knew laughter was the best medicine, but it’s never rung truer than it does now. “If we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane.”

And a big thank you to everyone for your tributes, stories, and notes. My dad and I shared a love for words, so reading yours has lit up my darkest hour.

And finally, to my dad, thank you. You turned nothing into something and gave me everything. I will never be able to repay you or my mom for my beautiful life. I will love you forever, and I will always keep the party going (responsibly, of course).

Watch the docuseries ‘Songs You Don’t Know By Heart’ that was directed by Delaney Buffett on Youtube.

Tagged in Personal/Family

Jimmy’s Two Sisters Reflect on Their Brother

September 5th, 2023

In two separate articles, Jimmy Buffett’s sisters Laurie and Lucy (LuLu) talk about their brother Jimmy and what he meant to them.

From People: Jimmy Buffett’s Sister Reveals They Faced Cancer at the Same Time: ‘Thunderstruck He Didn’t Make It’

As the singer-songwriter, who died on Sept. 1 at age 76, dealt with a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma, Laurie Buffett McGuane, his younger sister, was told she also had cancer.

“Jimmy and I were diagnosed with cancer about the same time,” Laurie, 74, tells PEOPLE. “It was four years ago and Jimmy was actually diagnosed first. When Jimmy found out [I had cancer] he brought the whole family and the dogs to Montana to be with me.”

Laurie — who had pancreatic cancer — says her and her brother’s diagnoses came around the time that the COVID pandemic was in full swing, meaning the family had to take their quality time outside, where they’d eat meals together.

Though she underwent surgery at Duke University and sought treatment in Montana and is now cancer-free, Laurie says she and her late brother, whom she called Bubba, leaned on each other during the difficult time.

“Jimmy and I became closer because of our cancers. We talked before and after our scans,” she recalls. “We shared a club that nobody wants to join. I am thunderstruck that Jimmy didn’t make it.”

Laurie — whom the family affectionately calls Lala — adds that the “Margaritaville” singer was very much a source of inspiration as she underwent treatment, and helped push her to continue living life as normally as she could.

“I rode my horse during my treatments and tried to continue with my life the same way Jimmy has done,” says Laurie, who is married to author Tom McGuane.

Buffett kept his cancer battle private, but had been forced in recent months to cancel shows due to illness — something Laurie says devastated him, as she knew just how important to Buffett his Parrothead fans were.

“Jimmy wanted to perform the shows that he had to cancel,” she says. “He brought joy to so many. I am very emotional now. When Jimmy was in the world, I felt safe. Even though I have Tom, it will be a whole new thing for me to be without my brother Jimmy.”

Laurie and Buffett, along with their sister Lucy (or Lulu), were raised in Alabama. Even as a youngster, Buffett had a nurturing spirit; Laurie recalls the time she broke her leg in eighth grade, and Buffett made a special trip to the grocery store to buy her chocolate milk so that she’d have it when she came home from the hospital.

Laurie can still recall Buffett’s early days as a musician, playing in New Orleans dive bars, and holding onto faith that he’d someday make it big.

“Jimmy always had a dream that he pursued until the end,” she says. “He did a lot of things in between, but hit Key West when he was pretty unknown, and never gave up, up until crowds began coming to listen to him perform. He was a phenomenal person.”

She adds that she and Lulu were among the family members by Buffett’s side when he died, and that the siblings shared childhood memories with the star in his final days.

After his death, Laurie shared an old childhood photo to Instagram, writing: “Lulu and I were just with Bubba. We talked about our childhood where only siblings can relate. I told him I’ve known him longer than anyone on the planet. He smiled with those twinkling blue eyes and squeezed my hand.”

From KeysNews.com, written by LuLu: Many wonder the same: What’s a world without Jimmy?

How do we live in a world without Jimmy? He was never supposed to die! With the amazing outpouring of love and grief streaming on social media and the many texts, emails, and phone messages I have received, it seems that so many feel the same way as I do.

Jimmy was so many things to so many people. For me, I always felt safe in a world that he was in because as my big brother, he felt like my protector. When he played the amphitheater in Key West last February, I remember gazing around and thinking, I have known him longer than anyone here, along with my sister, LaLa. Maybe not as well as others, as he married and had his own family, but we had the destiny of knowing him as a kid and the three of us had common goals to supersede our humble beginnings. That was a strong bond that only the three of us could understand. He paved the way for that to happen for all of us in a bigger way than we ever imagined.

Bubba, his childhood nickname and how we refer to him, always kept his Southern Gulf Coast roots and the importance of family anchored in the vast depth of his psyche. Like my father and grandfather, everything he did in pursuit of a successful career was to provide for his family — his wife and his children were his anchors and his motivators that kept his incessant drive in check but still allowed him to enjoy the “fruits of his labor.” BIG TIME! LOL. Still, the family had to share him with so many and that was hard at times though ultimately a blessing that enriched all our lives.

Continue reading LuLu’s article at KeysNews.com

Tagged in Personal/Family

Tributes Pour in for Jimmy

September 5th, 2023

Since news of Jimmy’s death on Friday, tributes from other artists, musicians, celebrities, and politicians have been pouring in.

Read through the remembrances below:

Tagged in Personal/Family, Related Artists

Buffett Anonymously Donated Two Airplanes Last Year to Alabama Museum

September 4th, 2023

In 2022, Jimmy Buffett made an anonymous donation of two of his airplanes to the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, Alabama.

USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park is thankful to have received a generous donation of two aircraft made by the legendary singer and Mobile native, Jimmy Buffett. When the aircraft first arrived at the park, in 2022, Buffett wished to remain an anonymous donor. As the world mourns his passing, we are pleased to finally be able to share his generous contributions to the park. The Grumman Goose and Boeing Stearman are both on display in the Medal of Honor Aircraft Pavilion. Visitors will see a wreath and an iconic Hawaiian-styled shirt that has been placed by the Grumman Goose in honor of Buffett.

From WKRG:

Park Officials say Buffett’s camp contacted the Battleship Park Foundation in 2022 about donating the planes anonymously. The planes shipped in pieces and reassembled at the Medal of Honor Pavillion. They were publicly displayed while the donor remained private. It was a tough secret to keep.

“Now, the folks involved here, as we’re doing this project to not just say proudly, yes, guess what we have… Jimmy Buffett’s planes!” said Chairman of the USS Alabama Commission Terry Ankerson. He also went to school with Buffett at McGill-Toolen.

“He’ll always be part of Mobile. And this is one of those steps where Jimmy Buffett is part of Battleship Park,” said Ankerson. Officials with Battleship Memorial Park managed to keep Jimmy Buffett’s name under wraps for more than a year. They had planned on making a public announcement earlier this year. They say Buffett kept delaying it until time ran out. In retrospect, they realized the delays were due to Buffett’s declining health.

Read more about Jimmy and his passion for flying here.

You can see the Stearman in the music video for “Trip Around the Sun,” a duet with Martina McBride:

Tagged in Aviation, Personal/Family

Buffett’s Cause of Death Revealed to be Skin Cancer

September 4th, 2023

In a full statement on his website, it has been revealed that Jimmy Buffett died after fighting Merkel Cell Skin Cancer for four years.

Merkel Cell Skin Cancer is a rare type of skin cancer that usually appears as a flesh-colored or bluish-red nodule, according to the Mayo Clinic. Merkel cell carcinoma tends to grow fast and can spread quickly to other parts of the body.

The full statement:

The beloved singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett passed away at his home in Sag Harbor, Long Island on Friday September 1, 2023 surrounded by family and friends. Buffett, 76, had been fighting Merkel Cell Skin Cancer for four years. He continued to perform during treatment, playing his last show, a surprise appearance in Rhode Island, in early July.

With a recording career that spanned more than fifty years and included hits such as “Margaritaville,” “Come Monday,” and “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” Buffett was one of the most successful performers in popular music. He filled arenas with fans who called themselves “Parrot Heads,” and popularized a signature blend of folk, country and Caribbean music with lyrics that often reflected Buffett’s world travels. A pilot and a sailor, Buffett wrote songs about his plane being shot at by Jamaican police (“Jamaica Mistaica”), getting lost in the Sahara Desert (“Buffet Hotel”) and smugglers he had known around the Florida Gulf Coast (“A Pirate Looks at 40”).

Although he was best known for upbeat party songs (others include “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” and “Fins”) Buffett first achieved notoriety for thoughtful ballads that showed the influence of Texas songwriters such as Jerry Jeff Walker and Canadian Gordon Lightfoot.

Bob Dylan praised lesser-known Buffett compositions “He Went to Paris” and “Death of an Unpopular Poet” – songs that reflected the observational, storytelling skills Buffett developed in his early career as a journalist for Billboard magazine.

Buffett had a second career as a successful author. He was one of a handful of writers who had number one best-sellers on both the fiction and non-fiction lists of the New York Times Book Review.

He had a third career as an entrepreneur, building a diversified lifestyle brand business, including Margaritaville hotels, restaurants, and retirement communities, along with sidelines such as Land Shark beer. Buffett’s branding and business acumen made him one of the most financially successful musicians of all time.

James William Buffett was born on Christmas, 1946 in Pascagoula, Mississippi and grew up in Alabama. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1969. He credited early years playing and singing in the streets and bars of New Orleans with shaping his dedication to connecting with his audience and giving the customers a good show. Buffett had little patience with performers who took themselves too seriously. He liked to say that the job of singing for a living was descended from the profession of court jester.

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.

Tagged in Personal/Family

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