Senate Passes Resolution to Honor Jimmy Buffett

The U.S. Senate approved a resolution paying tribute to the late singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who died Sept. 1 after battling a rare type of skin cancer.

Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss. and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., introduced and announced the unanimous approval of resolution S 401 to honor Buffett. He was originally from Mississippi, hailing from Pascagoula, but later relocated to Mobile, Alabama, during his youth, AL.com reported.

"One of the great Mississippi-born musicians, Jimmy Buffett taught a generation of Parrotheads how to pass time in Margaritaville and enjoy paradise," Wicker said in a statement. "Jimmy was a generational talent and entrepreneur who made his native state proud. With this resolution, we raise a glass to honor the life and legacy of this musical pioneer."

Hyde-Smith described Buffett as "a true Southern storyteller who was generous enough to share his piece of paradise with the world."

"In honoring him, we celebrate the man who, through his music, brought us with him on many of his adventures around the sun, from the Pascagoula Run, to the shores of paradise, and we are all the better for it. I have no doubt his legacy will continue to inspire generations to come."

The "Margaritaville" singer died at age 76 after a four-year battle with a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma, according to an official obituary posted to his website.

Buffett, a two-time Grammy Award nominee and recipient of multiple Country Music Awards, gained fame by extensively touring his folk-country tunes throughout the U.S. in the 1970s.

Buffett's career spanned six decades, during which he released more than two dozen albums and performed numerous concerts. His breakthrough, "Margaritaville," evolved into a lifestyle brand, encompassing everything from hotels and restaurants to pool floats and frozen shrimp dishes.

The "Margaritaville" brand started in the 1980s when Buffett saw people wearing his misspelled name on t-shirts in Key West. He opened a t-shirt store and later a cafe.

"A true giant of our Florida Keys community — the United States Senate just honored the life of the extraordinary Jimmy Buffett," Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said Thursday in a statement, according to the Washington Examiner. "His music, vision, and entrepreneurship produced a lasting legacy in our community and introduced the world to the Florida Keys lifestyle."

Reuters contributed to this story.