WATCH: MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and Jimmy Buffett Duet on Late Singer’s Signature Hit ‘Margaritaville’
The late, legendary “Margaritaville” singer Jimmy Buffett once dueted on his signature hit with MSNBC host Joe Scarborough during a curtain call at his Broadway show Escape to Margaritaville.
Buffett passed away at the age of 76 on Friday, leaving behind friends, family, and an army of loyal fans of the tropical vacation balladeer.
On Saturday morning, a statement released on Buffett’s social media announced that the singer passed away peacefully on Friday:
Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs.
He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many.
A statement on the singer’s website identified the cause of death:
The beloved singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett passed away at his home in Sag Harbor, Long Island on Friday September 1, 2023 surrounded by family and friends. Buffett, 76, had been fighting Merkel Cell Skin Cancer for four years. He continued to perform during treatment, playing his last show, a surprise appearance in Rhode Island, in early July.
The outpouring Saturday over news of his passing seemed near-universal and transcended partisan bounds — notwithstanding Buffett’s widely-known support of Democratic politicians — he performed at fundraisers for President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and roasted then-future President Donald Trump in one of his songs.
On Tuesday’s edition of MSNBC’s Morning Joe — the first since the news of Buffett’s death broke — Scarborough expressed sorrow over the singer’s death, calling him a friend.
He also related an anecdote in which Buffett told him that the crowds at his shows are “about 50/50” when it comes to politics.
Scarborough said Buffett told him, “What’s so beautiful, when they come to my show, that stays outside, and it’s about the music. It’s about everybody getting together and having a good time. Isn’t that beautiful?”
The Morning Joe Twitter/X account posted a video of Scarborough from May 31, 2018, featuring Scarborough joining Buffett onstage, guitar slung over his shoulders, to perform “Margaritaville” with the rest of the cast.
Watch above via MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
