Jimmy Buffett’s cause of death confirmed as Margaritaville flag lowered to half-staff in Palm Springs
The biography on Jimmy Buffett’s website has been updated to include the musician’s cause of death, confirming that he had been diagnosed with Merkel cell skin cancer.
The “Margaritaville” singer-songwriter battled cancer for four years before he died Friday at 76. Buffett’s official obituary notes that he “continued to perform during treatment, playing his last show, a surprise appearance in Rhode Island, in early July.”
“Jimmy passed away peacefully ... surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” his website says.
“He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many.”
A storyteller who specialized in tales of beach bums, burnouts and small-time hustlers, Buffett chronicled coastal life with humor and a light touch.
Buffet, known for performing popular tunes such as “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” built a lifestyle empire that encompassed dozens of Margaritaville bars, restaurants, hotels and resorts across the United States and beyond.
At least one of those destinations — the Margaritaville resort in Palm Springs — reportedly lowered its flag to half-staff this week in Buffett’s honor, according to a photo on social media.
“If anyone is curious the flag IS at half mast at Margaritaville Palm Springs,” X user @ahasaka captioned the image of a lowered America flag by a pool.
Another X user reported that a moment of silence was held for Buffett at the Margaritaville resort in Nassau, Bahamas, on Saturday.
Buffett’s family has asked that donations be made in his memory to the recording artist’s foundation, Singing for Change, as well as to Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, both in Boston, and MD Anderson Cancer Center, based in Texas.
Parrotheads know: Jimmy Buffett was not just a brand, he was a gifted singer-songwriter with a keen understanding of middle age and the American dream.
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