Pouring one out for the Mayor of “Margaritaville.”
Singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett passed away on Friday night at 76, and an official statement from his website confirmed the sad news.
“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.”
His self-described “drunken Caribbean rock ‘n ‘roll” musical style captured Buffett’s fans with his boozy puns and light laid-back melodies. His fanbase was die-hard and resembled those of The Grateful Dead… Buffett’s were appropriately named Parrotheads.
While many Buffett fans would consider a number of his songs hits, the artist only collected one top ten hit over his five-decade-long career.
“Margaritaville” became more than a lifestyle, though Buffett turned the track into a multimillion-dollar lifestyle brand.
Through the opening of the bars, Forbes noted in 2017 that:
“Morphed into a global lifestyle brand that currently has more than $4.8 billion in the development pipeline and sees $1.5 billion in annual system-wide sales.”
Buffett’s music might have given off the vibe of a beach bum, but his business strategy was far from it.
I guess Buffett was really living his lyrics when he sang in “Come Monday,”
“Headin’ out to San FranciscoFor the Labor Day weekend showI got my Hush Puppies onI guess I never was meant for glitter rock ‘n’ rollAnd honey, I didn’t know that I’d be missin’ you so.”
Except he was headed out for Heaven this year.
Of course, country music fans may recognize his voice from the Alan Jackson hit that perfectly encapsulates the Jimmy Buffett spirit, “It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere.”
RIP Jimmy.
