Page 22 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2023

PEOPLE
IN REMEMBRANCE OF
The unexpected death of iconic music ambassador Jimmy Buffett has taken an emotional toll on the people who adored
him, especially those along the Gulf Coast.
And even a month after the passing of the internationally known troubadour with sun-drenched songs celebrating life by the shore, friends and loved ones are still anchoring saltshaker tributes on Buffett Bridge in Pascagoula, near his childhood home.
Born on Christmas Day 1946 in Pascagoula, his mother called him a gift and as the son of a son of a sailor, he never forgot which sands were home. When he could sneak away to the Coast, Buffett visited all his favorite places. He ate at beloved restaurants like Scranton’s in Pascagoula and Mary Mahoney’s
in Biloxi, and several times he strode barefoot onto the stage at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum, rocking out with sold-out crowds.
story by Cherie Ward photos courtesy of Bobby Mahoney, Richard Chenoweth, and Jolynne Trapani
22 | October 2023
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
Despite moving to Mobile at age five, Buffett maintained family ties from Pascagoula to New Orleans through relatives including his grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. He often joked that U.S. 90 became his connection to his dysfunctional family.
And when the bridge near his grandparents’ house on Baptiste Bayou in Pascagoula was donned Buffett Bridge in 2015, the lifelong nautical man was there adorning his traditional duck-billed oysterman cap and faded khakis, with his guitar in hand. He stood on the very spot where the melody of his island-escapism lifestyle launched. The shoreline where his grandfather took him crabbing and gave him a map from his ship captain days and pointed out Pascagoula. He told Buffett the bayou and that map led to the Gulf and ultimately the rest of the world.
The 76-year-old island rocker was more than just South Mississippi’s very own bourgeoisie of yacht rock and barfly anthems with a nonchalant beach bum
swagger, complete with flip-flops and sunnies. Sure, the legendary singer- songwriter drew legions of colorful
fans who helped parlay his lagniappe catalog into lifestyle-branded business ventures and eventually a multi-million- dollar Parrothead empire. But he was also an author, gracious humanitarian, and a devoted environmentalist with
his foundation, Sing for Change which primarily funds projects that serve children and families, the environment, and disaster relief.
He and his sisters, Lucy Buffett and Laurie Buffett McGuane, even donated the Miss Peetsy B to the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs in 2011 and used Buffett’s LandShark beer instead of champagne to christen it. The 34-foot fiberglass-hull passenger vessel was named in honor of their mother who was passionate about education and has been converted to burn waste vegetable oil. Boat rides smell like French fries and salty air, only without the Heinz 57.
K i n g of Cool