Seriously, who doesn't love "Margaritaville" — it's the song that's more than a time and a place, and is, after all, a state of mind. Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett wrote most of the song in minutes after being inspired by morning margaritas and burritos, and by the time of his death in 2023, Buffett had turned Margaritaville into a multi-million-dollar empire of hotels, restaurants, and even retirement homes.
Buffett passed away on September 1, just a few days after posting a video to his Instagram. Although he had performed in more recent shows, the video harkened back to a much earlier show in 2016, showing Buffett performing a live version of The Beatles' "Hey Jude." It was captioned, "#withalittlehelpfrommyfriends #flashbackfun #summer2016," and it was everything that anyone had come to expect from Buffett.
His death came about four years after he was diagnosed with Merkel cell skin cancer, and true to his lifelong dedication to fun, high-energy, less-than-serious performances, he had continued to perform until a few months before his passing. In a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, he spoke about the importance of living each day to the fullest, and when he was asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, "I'd say 'He had a good time and made a lot of people happy' would be good. Yeah, that'd be good."
