Sad news for us 'Parrot Heads'....
Buffet has been a local favorite for many years down here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for he has ties to Pascagoula and Biloxi and the university of Southern Mississippi....has died at age 76.
I spent many hours listen to his songs and many of us will miss his music.
Jimmy Buffett's search for that missing salt shaker has just entered a new realm. The millionaire singer-songwriter and businessman described by the New York Times as the "roguish bard of island escapism," known for such singalong hits as "Margaritaville," "Fins," and "Cheeseburger in Paradise," has died at the age of 76. "Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music, and dogs," read a statement on Buffett's website and social media accounts on Saturday. "He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many." The AP reports that where Buffett died wasn't revealed, nor was his cause of death, but it noted that the singer had mentioned in social media posts that he'd been hospitalized after canceling concerts in May due to illness.
The Mississippi-born Buffett had his first top 40 hit with "Come Monday," a track from his 1974 album Living and Dying in 3/4 Time, his fourth studio album. That song put him on the map, but it was 1977's Changes in Attitudes, Changes in Latitudes, which featured "Margaritaville," that made him a star. "What seems like a simple ditty about getting blotto and mending a broken heart turns out to be a profound meditation on the often painful inertia of beach dwelling," noted Spin magazine in 2021. "Margaritaville" was Buffett's only single to ascend to Billboard's pop top 10, reaching No. 8. The song was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2016 and put Key West, Florida, on the radar.
That laid-back, tropical vibe that suggested a cold drink in the blender could fix all of life's ills (or at least numb them) permeated most of Buffett's musics and prompted an obsessive fan base that became known as "Parrot Heads." It was typical to see them show up at his concerts, where he was accompanied by his traveling Coral Reefer Band, decked out in Hawaiian shirts and leis and sporting shark fins and cheeseburgers on their heads. Buffett was also known for his business empire, including "Margaritaville"-themed restaurants, hotels, and retail outlets, as well as a clothing line and a boutique tequila—"all of which made him a millionaire hundreds of times over," per the Times.
My heart goes out to his family and friends.
A fitting tribute and a fine way to say good-bye and may he rest in peace.
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