Jimmy Buffett's laid-back party vibe created adoring 'Parrotheads' and success beyond music

Los Angeles, Sept. 4: Jimmy Buffett celebrated slackers before the word existed, even though he was hardly one himself. "Wastin' away again in Margaritaville," went the chorus to his most famous song, which became an international singalong. But Buffett was actually an astute, ambitious, aggressive businessman.

A statement posted to Buffett's official website and social media pages announced his passing on Friday at age 76. The statement did not say where Buffett died or give a cause. He rescheduled concerts in May and acknowledged he had been hospitalized for an unspecified illness.

Buffett built an empire based largely on Caribbean-flavored pop that celebrated the Florida Keys, sunshine and nightlife.  His name became synonymous with a laid-back subtropical party vibe, and his fans were known as Parrotheads.

But behind the laid-back exterior, Buffett was an admitted workaholic. He expanded into novels, nightclubs and many other ventures. At one time his estimated annual income was more than $40 million, and his revenue sources extended far beyond a musician's typical business model of album sales, concert tickets and souvenir T-shirts.

He landed at No. 18 in Forbes' list of the Richest Celebrities of All Time with a net worth of $1 billion.

The title of Buffett's most popular song showed up on restaurants, clothing, booze and casinos. He became involved in such products as Landshark Lager, the Margaritaville and Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant chains, boat shoes, salsa, hummus, tortillas, dips, tequila and blenders. 

The Margaritaville cafe on the Las Vegas strip was said to be the top grossing restaurant in the nation.

Buffett was chairman of Margaritaville Holdings based in Palm Beach, Florida. He had a restaurant and a casino in Vegas, a casino in Mississippi and a hotel in Pensacola Beach, Florida, but the exact scope of his empire was a secret. Margaritaville Holdings LLC didn't disclose its finances, and he usually declined interview requests.

Along with hit songs, Buffett wrote best-selling novels. In 2008 he was ranked by Vanity Fair as No. 97 on a list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and his fan base was broad and loyal. Even when he was in his 60s, his concert tickets fetched more than $100.

"I'm not about to apologize for being a good businessman," Buffett told The Washington Post in 1998. "Too many people in music have ruined their lives because they weren't. I'm not a great singer, and I'm only a so-so guitar player. I started running the band years ago because nobody else could, and I turned out to be good at this stuff. There's never been any grand plan to this thing. I'm making it up as I go along. ... Just trying to work the system while maintaining my '60s anarchic soul." (AP)