U.S. singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffet, best known for his hit song “Margaritaville,” passed away on Friday following a four-year battle with Merkel cell skin cancer, a statement on his official website announced.
The singer had been fighting the cancer for four years, but never stopped performing—Mr. Buffet even planned to release a new album this year.
In 2022, he was forced to cancel several shows after he was hospitalized for undisclosed reasons. In May, he canceled a South Carolina gig after again being hospitalized.
His last show was a surprise 45-minute appearance at a Mac McAnally show in Portsmouth, Rhode Island in early July.
According to the statement announcing Mr. Buffet’s death, the 76-year-old “passed away peacefully” at his home in Sag Harbor on Long Island, “surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs.”
According to The National Cancer Institute, Merkel cell skin cancer, or MCC, is a rare type of malignant carcinoma that usually emerges as a single red or violet lump that is fast-growing, painless, and firm, though in some cases may feel itchy.
The disease starts most often in areas where skin is often exposed to the sun, very often the neck, face, eyelids, and the arms and legs. “Merkel cells are found in the top layer of the skin,” the institute says. “These cells are very close to the nerve endings that receive the sensation of touch.”
MCC is prone to metastasize at an early stage, spreading to nearby lymph nodes. From there, the cancer travels to other lymph nodes in the body, emerging on the skin elsewhere and potentially attacking inner parts of the body as well, including the lungs, brain, and bones.
MCC is second to melanoma as the most lethal type of skin cancer, affecting approximately 3,000 Americans every year.
According to the National Cancer Institute those most at risk are fair-skinned males over the age of 50, though the majority of patients are older than 70. For people with darker skin, these tumors often appear on the legs, while in younger patients they usually appear on the torso.
The Cleveland Clinic lists excessive UV light exposure, be it from natural sunlight or artificial sunlight from tanning beds, viral infections, or having a weakened immune system as the most common causes of MCC.
Treatment involves surgical removal of the tumor, but the cancer very often comes back given its tendency to metastasize early on. Thus, early treatment is recommended.
Mr. Buffet is survived by his wife of 46 years, Jane (Slagsvol) Buffet, two daughters, a son and a grandson, and “a devoted pack of dogs,” the statement on his website read.
