Legendary singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett died late Friday at the age of 76.
“Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” a statement on his website read.
“He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many.”
— Jimmy Buffett (@jimmybuffett) September 2, 2023
According to his family, Buffett struggled with an undisclosed medical issue for the last year.
The Los Angeles Times noted in June 2023 that Buffett was hospitalized for unspecified health issues that needed immediate attention.
https://twitter.com/tigerizelovie/status/1697908347431800887
NBC News reports:
The statement didn’t say where Buffett died or provide a cause of death. The singer had rescheduled concerts in May, and Buffett said on social media that he had been hospitalized.
Buffett, who dubbed his brand of music “drunken Caribbean rock ‘n’ roll,” is arguably best known for “Margaritaville,” which was released in 1977 and launched him into national fame and into the history of American music.
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.
But in an apparent nod to his business pursuits in the song “A Pirate Looks at Forty,” Buffett sang that he “made enough money to buy Miami, but I pissed it away so fast. Never meant to last, never meant to last.”
In 2021, multiple Jimmy Buffett concerts required proof of COVID-19 inoculation or a negative COVID-19 test for entry.
From Cleveland.com:
Buffett’s show will have a few extra coronavirus precautions in place. Ticketholders will be required to have proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of the concert, in order to get in. Live Nation, which manages many pop and rock shows at Blossom Music Center and other local venues, recently announced that it would require negative COVID-19 tests or vaccines for shows starting Oct. 4, but that it would allow touring acts to mandate their own COVID-19 requirements before Oct. 4.
Buffett’s show will celebrate a couple of new releases, featuring his touring group the Coral Reefer Band. In 2020, the group released two new albums: “Life on the Flip Side” and “Songs You Don’t Know By Heart.” The new releases are just a small part of Buffett’s extensive discography, which totals 29 studio albums released in the past five decades.
The Detroit News noted:
When Jimmy Buffett performs at DTE Energy Music Theatre on Sept. 23, Parrotheads will be required to vaxx up to enjoy “Margaritaville.”
Buffett’s show at the Clarkston amphitheater, announced Monday by venue officials, will require fans to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test dated within 72 hours of the show for entry.
Buffett is the latest artist to require proof of vaccination or negative COVID tests to attend his concerts. Last week, Maroon 5 and Dead & Company announced their upcoming shows at DTE would require proof of vaccination, and AEG Presents said all shows at its venues, including Royal Oak Music Theatre, would require fans to show proof of vaccination for entry.
The moves come as the concert industry is rethinking its approach to live shows as the delta variant surges across the country.
