On September 2, 2023, Buffett’s website announced his death. The site stated that he “passed away peacefully on the night of September 1, surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs.” No cause of death was given.

Jimmy Buffett was on the mend following a brief hospitalization in May.

The 76-year-old shared an update on his Facebook page that he was heading home from the hospital.

At the time, he thanked his followers for the “outpouring of support and well wishes” and shared that he’d be going on a “fishing trip with old friends, along with paddling and sailing and get myself back in good shape” upon his return home from the hospital.

Buffett added that once he was back in shape, the Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reefer Band would “look at the whens and wheres of shows,” adding that he feels playing music “is as therapeutic for me as it is for fans to listen and sing along.”

James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He was best known for his music, which often portrays an “island escapism” lifestyle.

Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett recorded hit songs, including “Margaritaville” (ranked 234th on the Recording Industry Association of America’s list of “Songs of the Century”) and “Come Monday.” He has a devoted base of fans known as “Parrotheads.”

Buffett wrote three number-one best sellers. Tales from Margaritaville and Where Is Joe Merchant? both spent over seven months on The New York Times Best Seller fiction list.

His memoir A Pirate Looks at Fifty, published in 1998, went straight to number one on the New York Times Best Seller nonfiction list, making him one of the few authors to have reached number one on both the fiction and nonfiction lists.

Buffett also co-wrote two children’s books, The Jolly Mon and Trouble Dolls, with his eldest daughter, Savannah Jane Buffett. The original hardcover release of The Jolly Mon included a cassette tape recording of the two reading the story accompanied by an original score written by Michael Utley.

Buffett’s novel A Salty Piece of Land was released on November 30, 2004, and the first edition of the book included a CD single of the song “A Salty Piece of Land.” The book was a New York Times best seller soon after its release.

Buffett’s latest title, Swine Not?, was released on May 13, 2008.

Before his death in 2023, Buffett stated that he had planned to write an in-depth autobiography when he was about 86 years old, which would have been in 2032.

He did a lot of charity work in his life.