Jimmy Buffett’s cause of death was reportedly due to a secret cancer battle, according to one source.
As per TMZ, a source has revealed that the Margaritaville singer, whose death at age 76 was reported yesterday, died from a secret battle with skin cancer.
“He lived his life in the sun, literally and figuratively,” the “close friend” said, adding that Sir Paul McCartney had recently visited him and serenaded his family on the occasion, with the music legend reportedly beginning hospice care on Monday (Tuesday in Australia).
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McCartney penned a tribute to his old friend after hearing of his passing, writing on X, formerly Twitter: “Right up to the last minute his eyes still twinkled with a humour that said, ‘I love this world and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it’.
“He had a most amazing lust for life and a beautiful sense of humour. When we swapped tales about the past his were so exotic and lush and involved sailing trips and surfing and so many exciting stories that it was hard for me to keep up with him.
“So many of us will miss Jimmy and his tremendous personality. His love for us all, and for mankind as a whole.”
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It was Buffett’s lust for life and penchant for flying planes and commandeering boats that had him surviving at least three near-death experiences over his 76 years.
The first was in 1978, when he was partying on a sailboat in San Salvador, as recounted in music writer Ryan White wrote in his book Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All the Way.
He later fell asleep in his boat’s dinghy, a rowboat that was attached to his larger sailboat, but woke to find himself surrounded by water on all sides.
Eventually a cigarette boat he had previously interacted with and a “mother ship loaded with drugs” found him and pointed him back in the direction of land.
The second was less than 20 years later, when a sea plane he was piloting almost capsized when taking off, flipping after hitting a wave.
According to the the Tampa Bay Timeshe singer was able to escape the plane and swim to a passing boat, after which he went to the hospital.
Police at the time said he had “no visible injuries but complained of pain”, but an emergency room nurse said he left the hospital “fine” and “walked out with friends.”
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Buffet later switched to a “safer” plane, he told the Boston Globe in 1995.
“For a while I got introspective about it, but you’ve got to get back up…Once you’ve had a near-death experience, it does affect you,” Buffett said.
Just two years after his plane mishap came possibly his worst near-death experience yet, which he shared with U2 frontman Bono, Bono’s family and Island Records founder Chris Blackwell all on board.
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Buffett landed the plane he was flying the group in at a town named Negril in Jamaica.
The holidayers had stopped to share some jerk chicken, but suddenly found themselves being shot at by Jamaican authorities, who had mistaken the celebrity’s plane for a drug-smuggling operation, according to Taste of Country
Nobody was injured, though Bono and his family promptly left Jamaica while Buffett stayed back to speak with authorities.
The ordeal inspired Buffett’s song, Jamaica Mistaica, with the lyrics reading: “Come back, come back back to Jamaica/ Don’t you know we made a big mistaica/ We’d be so sad if you told us good-bye/ And we promise not to shoot you out of the sky.”