Jimmy Buffett, ‘Margaritaville’ singer, dies

“Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1 surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” said a statement on his social media page.

“He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many,” it continued.

The cause of Buffett's death was not given, but he had spent time in hospital in recent months. The singer-songwriter was briefly hospitalized in May following a trip to the Bahamas.

“I had to stop in Boston for a check-up but wound up back in the hospital to address some issues that needed immediate attention,” he told his followers in a social media post.

Buffett was born in the US state of Mississippi but was raised in Alabama before moving to Nashville, Tennessee. He worked for the music and entertainment magazine Billboard, with the dream of making it as a country singer.

Buffett made his musical breakthrough with his 1977 album Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes, which included the song Margaritaville, which enjoyed 22 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Buffett was nominated for two Grammy awards and was a prolific artist, releasing more than 20 albums. Earlier this year, he revealed that he had recorded a new work, according to BBC.

His songs were also turned into a musical, Escape to Margaritaville, which made its Broadway debut in 2018.

Buffett's music and the “beach bum” lifestyle he promoted earned him a devoted following of millions of fans who refer to themselves as Parrotheads.

“RIP to the troubadour of my youth,” wrote one Parrothead on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“So many great memories at Jimmy's shows. This is a hard one,” said another.

Tributes have also been made by some of his fellow musicians, including Elton John, who said Buffett was “a unique and treasured entertainer” who had “gone way too soon”.

Buffett is survived by his wife Jane and, their three children.