Jimmy Buffett, best known for his 1977 hit Margaritaville, passed away on Friday at the age of 76, an obituary posted on his website reads. US President Joe Biden extended his condolences to the musician’s family, who he described as a “poet of paradise.”
The statement on Buffett’s website and social media accounts said that “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,” it added.
Buffett recorded several albums starting from the early 1970s, none of which resulted in much popularity, before hitting it big with ‘Margaritaville’ from his 1977 album ‘Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes’.
By this time, the singer had created his own unique style, blending country, folk rock, and calypso, which critics dubbed ‘tropical rock’, and Buffett himself once described as “drunken Caribbean rock and roll.”
His lyrics typically dealt with the carefree beach lifestyle – Margaritaville being a prime example. However, the song concludes on a more serious note, as he ponders whether a failed relationship was his own fault.
In April this year, Margaritaville was inducted into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry for its “cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.”
Commenting on the recognition at the time, Buffett said he was lucky to have “put [his] thumb on the pulse of something that people can connect with.”
Over his decades-long career, the musician released more than 30 records, with more than half certified as gold or platinum.
Commenting on Buffett’s passing, Biden posted a message on X (formerly Twitter), in which he hailed the musician as an “American music icon who inspired generations to step back and find the joy in life and in one another.”
He added that Buffett was “full of goodwill and joy, using his gift to bring people together,” both on stage and in life.
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