Even towards the end, Jimmy Buffett still wanted everyone to have a good time. Following his death on Friday (September 1) at age 76, Buffett’s sister Lucy “LuLu” Buffett shared some of the last words her brother, whom she affectionately nicknamed “Bubba,” said to her before he died.
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Though the family hasn’t shared if Buffett said more to other members, LuLu said he was able to say his goodbye to everyone. “We had a beautiful goodbye visit earlier in the week,” said LuLu. “He had my grandfather’s twinkle in his eye to the end and he was very clear that the music, the party, and the good life was to continue with his robust optimism in tow.”
Jimmy was the older brother to two sisters, Laurie (LaLa) and Lucy. “I always felt safe in a world that he was in because as my big brother,” said Lucy. “He felt like my protector.”
In a separate post on Instagram, sister Laurie Buffett, who had a similar battle with cancer alongside her brother, also shared her final moment with her brother. “Lulu and I were just with Bubba,” said Laurie. “We talked about our childhood where only siblings can relate. I told him I’ve [known] him longer than anyone on the planet. He smiled with those twinkling blue eyes and squeezed my hand.”
Buffett died after a four-year battle with Merkel Cell Skin Cancer, which can grow quickly and spread to nearby lymph nodes and to other parts of the body in its early stage, according to the National Cancer Institute. After being hospitalized in early 2022, Buffett canceled his tour in April 2022.
The “Margaritaville” singer’s daughter, Delaney, even shared a lengthy post about her father’s final days. “I knew my dad my whole life but in his final days, I saw who he was: a man whose spirit could not be broken,” wrote Delaney. “Despite the pain, he smiled every day. He was kind when he had every excuse not to be. He told us not to be sad or scared, but to keep the party going. And as much as I’d like to use that as an excuse to drink myself into oblivion worthy of his literary heroes, I know it’s not what he meant.”
She continued, “Yes, he loved his weed and his wine, but the truth is, most of the time, he was just high on life, and that is what he wanted for everyone: to enjoy the fantastic trip that life can be. My dad was the joy he sang about. He was the hardest-working person I’ve ever seen. He was a great man and an even better dad to my brother, sister, and me.”
Buffett, who turned 76 on Christmas Day 2022, hit the road again with the Coral Reefer Band in March 2023 and was forced to cancel another show in South Carolina in May after being hospitalized.
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Even after his skin cancer diagnosis, Buffett’s sister said he didn’t make a big deal of it, even as he went through treatments. “He was the best person I know that could ‘breathe in, breathe out and move on’ after hard news,” said LuLu.
She added, “He didn’t care about resting in peace. The last words he whispered to me were, ‘Have fun.'”
Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images
