President Joe Biden mourned the death of musician Jimmy Buffett, sharing a touching statement on X (formerly Twitter) about his friendship with the "Margaritaville" singer, who died on Friday at the age of 76.
Biden referred to Buffett as a "poet of paradise" and an "American music icon who inspired generations to step back and find the joy in life and one another."
He added:
"We had the honor to meet and get to know Jimmy over the years, and he was in life as he was performing on stage – full of goodwill and joy, using his gift to bring people together."
"Jill and I send our love to his wife of 46 years, Jane; to their children, Savannah, Sarah, and Cameron; to their grandchildren; and to the millions of fans who will continue to love him even as his ship now sails for new shores.”
You can see Biden's tweet below.
Many appreciated the President's words and joined him in paying tribute to the late singer.
On September 1, Buffett's official website released a statement confirming his passing, saying Buffett had died "surrounded by his family, friends, music, and dogs" and that he "lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many.”
While the initial statement did not disclose the cause of death, on September 2, TMZ reported that an anonymous source, claiming to be a friend of Buffett, revealed that the music icon had been engaged in a prolonged battle with skin cancer and lymphoma. According to this source, Buffett had been battling cancer for nearly four years.
In the official obituary reported by The Boston Globe, the specific cancer type was identified as Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive type of skin cancer that most often develops in older people and tends to grow fast and spread quickly to other parts of the body.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images