The entertainment industry has been rocked by the news of Jimmy Buffett’s untimely death, which occurred last week due to skin cancer.
Buffett, 76, had been “battling Merkel Cell Skin Cancer for four years,” according to his website’s official obituary.
Buffett “continued to perform during treatment,” according to his obituary, “playing his last show, a surprise appearance in Rhode Island, in early July.”
According to the National Cancer Institute, Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare disease in which malignant (cancerous) cells grow in the skin.
The website also mentions that “sun exposure and having a weak immune system can affect the risk of Merkel cell carcinoma.”
On September 1, the legendary ‘Margaritaville’ guitarist died at his home in Sag Harbor, Long Island. He was 76 years old at the time.
He died peacefully surrounded by his family, friends, music, and beloved pets, according to a statement posted on his website and social media sites. “He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many,” the statement said.
He was survived by his 46-year-old wife, Jane Slagsvol, and his three daughters, Savannah, Sarah, and Cameron.
Now, country musician Keith Urban has paid tribute to the great, honoring Buffett while performing at Etess Arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey during Hard Rock Live.
He turned to social media to share a short video of the performance, labeling it “For Jimmy, last night in Atlantic City.”
Urban, a four-time Grammy winner, began the emotional tribute with a heartfelt message and personal experience about Buffett.
“I want to take a second to acknowledge the passing of an incredible musician, Jimmy Buffett. I was shocked today to hear about that,” he said, adding he was “immediately thinking about a time that we got to go down to St. Barts and we got an [invitation] from Jimmy to go and have dinner with him and his wife.”
The father-of-two – who is married to Australian actress Nicole Kidman – continued: “When we were down there, Jimmy said to me ‘man, you should grab your guitar. There’s a bar in town and I’m sure if we take our guitars they’ll let us sit in.’ So, here’s me and Jimmy carrying our guitars down the street in St. Barts and we go to this cool bar and we sang a couple of songs.”
He went on to say that it was “such an honor to know him and such a huge loss, but what an incredible legacy of music he’s left behind.”
He then sang two of Buffett’s most famous songs, including “Come Monday,” which he said was one of the first songs he ever learned on guitar.
Keith Urban’s touching tribute to Jimmy Buffett was heartfelt and touching.
We are sending our thoughts and prayers to Jimmy Buffett’s family, friends, and fans at this difficult time.
