Jimmy Buffett’s daughter Sarah Buffett, who goes by the name Delaney, is remembering her late father, who passed away September 1 after a four-year battle with with Merkel cell skin cancer.
Delaney shared a tribute on Instagram, writing, “I knew my dad my whole life but in his final days, I saw who he was: a man who spirit could not be broken,” adding that even though he was in pain, “he smiled everyday. He was kind when he had every excuse not to be. He told us not to be sad or scared, but to keep the party going.”
As for that party, Delaney says Jimmy “loved his weed and his wine, but the truth is, most of the time, he was high on life, and that is what he wanted for everyone: to enjoy the fantastic trip that life can be.”
“My dad was the joy he sang about. He was the hardest working person I’ve ever seen,” she explained, noting that while fans have thanked her for sharing her father with them, “I know he would have wanted me to thank his fans for sharing their lives with him.”
“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,” she writes. “I’ll pass something along my mom said to me, ‘Whenever you feel sad or lost, look for the messages in the music. There are plenty.'”
She concluded with a message to her dad, writing, “You turned nothing into something and gave me everything. 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).”
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