The American singer Jimmy Buffett, author of the popular song Margaritaville, died this Friday at the age of 76, the family of the artist and businessman reported through his website.
"Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1 surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs," says a brief message posted this Saturday on the web, which does not detail the reasons for his death.
"He lived his life like a song until his last breath and many will miss him beyond measure," adds the message, which is accompanied by a photograph of the singer sailing aboard a boat, one of the great passions of his life.
Therefore, the details of the death of the singer, who in 1977 composed the song Margaritaville, a title inspired by the popular Mexican drink and which occupied the top positions in the sales charts of the time, have not been disclosed.
Born in 1946 in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Buffett began his musical career in Nashville, Tennessee, in the late 1960s as a country artist and recorded his first album, the country-tinged folk rock record Down to Earth, in 1970.
After several albums, in 1977 he published Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes, which contained the song Margaritaville, a song that catapulted him to the top of the sales charts and was the seed of a lucrative business empire.
This theme made him one of the richest men in the American music industry. In 2016, Variety magazine notes, his personal wealth was estimated at $500 million.
According to Forbes, this song "became a global lifestyle brand", with its country and tropical touches. It currently records $1.5 billion in annual sales.
Under the Margaritaville brand, Buffett marketed clothing and footwear, retail stores, restaurants, tourist destinations, arcades, restaurants, and even a line of beer.
In addition to making a living from music and his numerous businesses, Buffett published several novels, including Tales from Margaritaville and a memoir A Pirate Looks at Fifty, which also became bestsellers.
Though only Margaritaville made the top ten, Buffett spent half a century on stage, touring annually with his Coral Reefer Band.
In 2018, he appeared on a national tour with the Eagles. A Pirate Looks at Forty and Cheeseburger in Paradise are some of her most outstanding songs together with that song that changed her life.
