- Jimmy Buffett spent his final days reminiscing on his childhood alongside his family.
- "Jimmy would laugh and nod his head to let us know that he remembered," his sister told People.
Jimmy Buffett spent his final days happily surrounded by family and reminiscing on his childhood, his sister, Laurie Buffett McGuane told People.
Buffett died on September 1, his family said in a statement Friday. According to a statement on his website posted Sunday, the legendary singer-songwriter had been diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare form of skin cancer, four years ago.
The "Margaritaville" singer's final days were spent with family, reminiscing about their childhood, Buffett McGuane said.
"We shared memories of our childhood with Jimmy during his last days," she told People. "We would repeat stories, and Jimmy would laugh and nod his head to let us know that he remembered."
Even in those last moments, "I have never seen Jimmy depressed ever. Not even at the end," Buffett McGuane said. "We all like to joke and laugh and that was very much Jimmy."
She added that her brother "brought joy to so many," which is why it was so hard for him to cancel recent shows due to his illness.
Buffett McGuane reflected on her brother's lifelong generosity, recounting a time when she broke her leg as a kid and he met her at home with her favorite chocolate milk, according to People.
"When Jimmy was in the world, I felt safe. Even though I have [my husband] Tom, it will be a whole new thing for me to be without my brother Jimmy," she told People.
Tom McGuane, meanwhile, rode solo to the premiere of "All That Is Sacred," a film about Key West in the 1970s that he and Buffett appear in together, People reported. Buffett was supposed to go with him this weekend to the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado.
Before his death, McGuane wrote in a note to Buffett that "What you did in your career has a long future, but you may not be there for the applause," according to People.
"Jimmy always had a dream that he pursued until the end," Buffett McGuane said of her brother. "He did a lot of things in between, but hit Key West when he was pretty unknown, and never gave up, up until crowds began coming to listen to him perform. He was a phenomenal person."