A few days after the death of Jimmy Buffett, his daughter, Delaney Buffett, took to Instagram to break her silence on the passing of the “Margaritaville” hitmaker. The 31-year-old shared a screenshot of a note she penned and shared it with her 12.2K followers on Sept. 6. “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,” her caption began. “Despite the pain, he smiled everyday. He was kind when he had every excuse not to be.”
Delaney went on to write about what her father told his loved ones in his final moments. “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 added. His daughter also revealed that despite his persona, Jimmy was often “high on life.”
“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,” her message continued. “My dad was the joy he sang about. He was the hardest working person I’ve ever seen.” Later, Delaney went on to express her gratitude for the kind of dad that Jimmy was to her and her two siblings: Savannah, 44, and Cameron, 29.
“He was a great man and an even better dad to my brother, sister and me. He was generous with his friends and strangers alike,” she wrote. “He had a deep admiration for the people he worked with, and he never took himself too seriously, which is probably what I loved most about him.” The film producer even shared an anecdote of when she showed Jimmy an episode of South Park that featured a portrayal of her father.
“When I showed him the South Park episodes that parody him, he loved chuckling along. I remember teasing him about their Margaritaville blender jokes, and without missing a beat, he zinged me with ‘You live off those f****** blenders!’ He got me there,” she joked. Of course, Delaney made sure to thank her dad’s fans for their support over the last few days amid her grief.
“Over the past few days, people have thanked me for sharing my dad with them, but I know he would have wanted me to thank his fans for sharing their lives with him,” the proud daughter added. “We are his family but the stage was his home, and you, his band, and everyone on the road gave him the strength to keep going back. I’ll pass something along my mom [Jane Slagsvol] said to me, ‘Whenever you feel sad or lost, look for the messages in the music. There are plenty.’”
Additionally, Delaney expressed her gratitude for the medical team that helped her dad amid his battle with cancer. As many know, Jimmy died on Sept. 1 after a longtime battle with Merkel cell skin cancer at the age of 76. “So to those who took care of my dad at home and in the hospital, I want to thank you for giving us more time together. I am eternally grateful,” she went on. The late musician’s daughter made sure to also thank her family and friends for their support during this difficult time.
Finally, Delaney added a final note made out directly to her dad. “And finally, to my dad, thank you. You turned nothing into something and gave me everything,” she gushed. “I will never be able to repay you or my mom for my beautiful life. I will love you forever, and I will always keep the party going (responsibly, of course.” The “Trip Around the Sun” singer is survived by his wife, Jane, and their three kids.