Sadly, Jimmy Buffett didn’t live long enough to experience his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The “Margaritaville” singer died from a rare form of skin cancer on Sept. 1, 2023, at the age of 76. Just over a year later, Buffett was inducted to the Rock Hall in the Musical Excellence category by fellow singer-songwriter James Taylor.
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Among those paying tribute to Buffett at the Oct. 19, 2024, induction ceremony, was country superstar Kenny Chesney, who performed Buffett’s song “Come Monday” with Taylor and longtime member of Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band Mac McAnally.
Although Buffett had passed, Chesney revealed that the “Cheeseburger in Paradise” singer had a presence at the Rock Hall ceremony.
During an interview to promote his recently published memoir Heart Life Musicon the Dec. 2 episode of Sirius/XM’sThe Howard Stern Show, Chesney revealed how.
“What was so great about that night was we were backstage. It was me and James and Mac. We were sitting back there warming up, trying to figure out our parts and stuff and Mac comes up to me and he goes, ‘Look at this.’ And it was a small urn, and he had Jimmy’s ashes in his coat pocket,” Chesney recalled.
The reveal shocked Stern, who asked for clarification. “Swear to God,” Chesney said. “Jimmy’s ashes were in Mac McAnally’s coat pocket on stage with us as he was getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
Stern pressed further and asked how McAnally had Buffett’s ashes. “His daughter Savannah gave it to him,” Chesney added, leaving Stern to proclaim, “Wow!”
“So even after he passed, Jimmy found a way to join the party. You know, it was really, really interesting knowing that and it was just a heavy moment.”
Following the wide-ranging interview that touched upon several other topics, Chesney released a statement from his representatives raving about his time with Stern.
“It was absolutely my most favorite two hours of radio I’ve ever done,” Chesney enthused. “It was so fast and so engaged with what we’d written, it made me rethink in a wonderful way so much of what went into the book. To hear someone love your life and journey like that, it makes you realize how much we all inspire each other – and I can’t think of a better gift after the last month of incredible media, book events and the love I’ve received on social media than spending two hours with Howard Stern talking about music, songs and life.”
