CNN –
Jimmy Buffett, the tropical troubadour whose folksy tunes celebrated his laid-back lifestyle, inspired legions of loyal fans and spawned a lucrative business empire, has died, according to his official website and several media outlets.
He was 76.
“Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” said a statement posted on his social media page.
“He lived his life like a song until his last breath and will be missed immensely by so many,” the statement continued.
No cause of death was announced.
The singer-songwriter was briefly hospitalized in May after a trip to the Bahamas. “I had to stop in Boston for a checkup but ended up back in the hospital to deal with some issues that needed immediate attention,” he told his followers in a social media post.
Buffett announced a day later that he was soon going home from the hospital and thanked his followers for the “outpouring of support and well wishes.” He didn’t share what was bothering him, but said that when he returned from the hospital he would go on a “fishing trip with old friends, paddling and sailing and getting back in shape.”
Buffett was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi and grew up in the port city of Mobile, Alabama. He moved to Key West, Florida, where he found his voice, his website says.
An affable singer-songwriter with a penchant for clever wordplay, Buffett largely ignored pop music trends and was never a hitmaker or an MTV darling. 1977’s “Margaritaville” was his only top 10 song.
But he built an enormous cult of fans, affectionately known as “Parrotheads,” who embraced his vision of a life in flip-flops full of beaches, boats, booze and weed.
Later in his career, he parlayed his enduring popularity into best-selling books, a Broadway musical, and a series of casual restaurants, resorts, and other ventures.
Buffett, who was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006, won two Country Music Association awards during his career and was nominated twice for the Grammy Awards.
According to his website, before his death, Buffett was preparing to release a new record, the songs of which were heard weekly on Radio Margaritaville.
Buffett is survived by his wife Jane Slagsvol and three children.