[10] He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona,[2] which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapism"[11] and promoted enjoying life and following passions.

[12] Buffett recorded many hit songs, including those known as "The Big 8":[13] "Margaritaville" (1977), which is ranked 234th on the Recording Industry Association of America's list of "Songs of the Century"; "Come Monday" (1974); "Fins" (1979); "Volcano" (1979); "A Pirate Looks at Forty" (1974); "Cheeseburger in Paradise" (1978); "Why Don't We Get Drunk" (1973); and "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" (1977).

[16] In total, Buffett sold over 20 million certified records worldwide,[3] placing him amongst the world's best-selling music artists.

[17][18][19] In addition to two Grammy Award nominations, Buffett was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category in 2024.

[33][34] Buffett enrolled at Auburn University and was taught how to play guitar by a Sigma Pi fraternity brother to "garner attention from girls".

[27][34] Buffett failed out of Auburn after a year, in April 1966, "unable to balance his newfound interests in music and girls with his college classes".

[35] In 1966, Buffett played acid rock in a band called the Upstairs Alliance that attempted to emulate the sound of Jefferson Airplane.

Buffett did not have much luck with music jobs but found work as an editorial assistant for Billboard, where he was the first to report that the bluegrass duo Flatt and Scruggs had disbanded.

[39] In the fall of 1971, after an impromptu audition, Buffett was hired by the Exit/In, a Nashville club, as the opening act for recording artist Dianne Davidson.

[15] From a connection he made there, Buffett was hired as the first mate on the yacht of industrialist Foster Talge, heir to The Rival Company, which became his day job.

[46] The album featured the hit singles "Grapefruit—Juicy Fruit" and "Why Don't We Get Drunk" as well as "I Have Found Me a Home", written about his experiences in Key West.

[53] In April 1998, Buffett released an album of songs from a musical theatre production he co-created based on Herman Wouk's novel, Don't Stop the Carnival; was certified gold.

[54] Comedian Jon Stewart also jokingly criticized the song on The Daily Show during a segment called "Math Is Quite Pleasant".

[55] By 1999, Buffett had shifted to a more relaxed concert schedule of around 20–30 dates per year, with infrequent back-to-back nights, preferring to play only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

[83] The annual Meeting of the Minds in Key West, Florida is a five-day festival held after Fantasy Fest that attracts approximately 5,000 Parrotheads.

[97] Buffett appeared on the Sesame Street special, Elmopalooza, singing "Caribbean Amphibian" with the popular Muppet, Kermit the Frog.

[99] Buffett made a cameo in the 2015 film Jurassic World, where he is seen holding two margaritas while the dinosaurs are set loose in the park.

[103] Buffett portrayed both himself and a con artist by the name of Dickie Delaney, who pretended to be the famous singer in order to pull off schemes and trick unsuspecting marks on Season 12, Episode 11 of Blue Bloods.

The show features a book by Greg Garcia and Mike O'Malley and uses Buffett's classic songs, some of which he rewrote the lyrics to in order to better fit in the context of the story.

The show began previews at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway on February 16, 2018, and officially opened on March 15 under the direction of Tony winner Christopher Ashley.

The Broadway production received mixed reviews from New York critics and closed on July 1 after 29 previews and 124 regular performances.

[107][106] Through his Margaritaville brand, Buffett licensed hotels, casinos, cruise experiences, restaurants and bars, packaged foods, beverages, spirits, outdoor furniture, home goods, appliances, and apparel and accessories.

[2] The chain opened restaurants under the Margaritaville and LandShark Bar & Grill names in locations including Atlantic City, New Orleans, Nashville, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Las Vegas, Jamaica, Orlando, Baltimore,[109] and the Cayman Islands.

[123] In 2017, Latitude Margaritaville, a 3,900-home $1 billion retirement village near Interstate 95 in Daytona Beach, Florida, was announced by Buffett in partnership with Minto Group.

[124][125] The partnership announced similar retirement communities on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, also in 2017[126] and in Panama City Beach, Florida, in 2021.

[143] In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, Buffett sent private planes to help ferry supplies and gave a benefit concert in Gustavia, Saint Barthélemy.

[158][159][160] At a performance by Buffett on January 26, 2011 (Australia Day) at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion, he fell off the stage after an encore and lost consciousness.

[161][163][164][165] Buffett regained consciousness within a few minutes, and was then transported to St. Vincent's Hospital Emergency Centre for treatment and was discharged the next day.

[173] Buffett died on September 1, 2023, at age 76, at his home in Sag Harbor, New York, due to complications from Merkel-cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer, with which he had been diagnosed four years earlier.

[174] A tribute concert was held at the Hollywood Bowl in April 2024, featuring Paul McCartney, Eagles, Snoop Dogg, Harrison Ford, and Pitbull among others.