{"id":8247,"date":"2024-08-15T09:58:33","date_gmt":"2024-08-15T09:58:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/?p=8247"},"modified":"2024-09-03T16:58:11","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T16:58:11","slug":"play-on-jimmy-buffett","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/","title":{"rendered":"Play On, Jimmy Buffett","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

His fans adored him for the salt-rimmed, worry-free lifestyle he espoused. It seemed like he would go on forever. So it was devastating when, on September 1, 2023, the world learned that Jimmy Buffett died of the rare skin cancer Merkel cell carcinoma<\/a> (MCC). Now his enormous following has given him a posthumous role as a skin cancer awareness-raiser.<\/h4>\n

I\u2019ll bet you\u2019ve experienced your own version of this: I\u2019m in a car, a bar or at an event, with music blaring, busy with my own distracted thoughts. Then, the first guitar chords of \u201cMargaritaville\u201d find their way through. Even before the first lyrics are sung, happy anticipation bubbles up. Part of that is being reminded of my 1970s AM pop radio childhood, before my adult worries and responsibilities took hold.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But more than that, I know what\u2019s about to happen is a rare and wondrous thing, especially in our divisive era: Everyone within earshot is about to start singing \u2014 guys and gals, old and relatively young, even eye-rolling music snobs who act like they\u2019re participating ironically but secretly love it. Many of us can\u2019t carry a tune, but it doesn\u2019t matter. For the next few minutes, at least, we are all literally singing the same song.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNibbling on sponge cake<\/span>
\nWatching the sun bake<\/span>
\nAll of those tourists covered with oil \u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"CMT

Rick Diamond\/Getty Images for CMT
Encores, Encores<\/b>: Jimmy Buffett strikes a chord with a devoted crowd on the beach at Gulf Shores, Alabama, in 2010.<\/p><\/div>\n

The third line of \u201cMargaritaville\u201d will make readers of this website cringe \u2014 as it should. But in 1977, when Jimmy Buffett\u2019s breakthrough hit was coming through transistor radios on beaches across the country, a <\/span>\u201cdeep, dark\u201d tan was the brass ring<\/span><\/a>. (I mixed iodine into my baby oil to stain my skin; it didn\u2019t work.)\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The whole world was late to the <\/span>SPF party<\/span><\/a>. The measurement for sun protection factor didn\u2019t become standard until the 1980s, and it wasn\u2019t until the \u201990s that stores sold formulations of SPF 15 or 30. We now know how to protect our skin from the sun\u2019s damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays; Buffett listed sunscreen as an essential in his 1998 bestseller <\/span>A Pirate Looks at Fifty<\/span><\/i>, later launching a sunscreen line as part of his Margaritaville business juggernaut. But like too many people, <\/span>Buffett developed skin cancer<\/span><\/a> \u2014 in his case a rare, aggressive form called <\/span>Merkel cell carcinoma<\/span><\/a>. Tragically, after four years of treatment, Buffett succumbed to this aggressive disease on September 1, 2023, at age 76.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPoets of Paradise\u201d<\/h3>\n

The big-name outpourings of respect and love from a genre-spanning spectrum of superstars may have come as a surprise to folks who wrote him off long ago as karaoke fodder. Nonetheless, Paul McCartney (who performed on Buffett\u2019s posthumously released record), Kenny Chesney, LL Cool J, Sammy Hagar, Elton John and Sheryl Crow are just a few who praised him as a musician, songwriter and all-around kind and generous human. President Biden called him a \u201ca poet of paradise \u2026 who inspired generations to step back and find the joy in life and in one another.\u201d (In October 2023, the U.S. Senate even unanimously passed a resolution to honor the singer.) Perhaps his old friend James Taylor put it best when he posted on Instagram, \u201c@JimmyBuffett invented his own character, which, in a sense, we all do: invent, assemble, inherit or fall into our inner identity. But Jimmy was the founder of an actual tribe: tens of thousands of us made our way to where he was holding court, just to be near him.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Jimmy

Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images
Sun Worshipper<\/b>: The \u201cson of a son of a sailor\u201d relaxing on his own sailboat in Key West in the mid 1970s.<\/p><\/div>\n

Taylor wasn\u2019t kidding. Casual fans may not realize that he had a Grateful Dead-like following, dubbed \u201cParrotheads\u201d by a member of Buffett\u2019s group, Coral Reefer Band. Buffett, who released a total of 53 albums, toured until his health made it impossible last year. Parrotheads often flock to shows wearing Hawaiian shirts, feathered headgear, shark fins and grass skirts to tailgate, even at landlocked venues. \u201cSome brought giant sandboxes to simulate the beach and continued the boozy celebrations after the concerts ended,\u201d <\/span>The Washington Post<\/span><\/i> wrote. They even have their own vocabulary: \u201cFins up!\u201d is the standard greeting, a reference to Buffett\u2019s 1979 song, \u201cFins.\u201d This community, bound together not just by his music but by the laid-back beachy lifestyle he came to represent, has spawned networks of relationships, fan clubs and do-good volunteer groups that work to carry on causes they feel embody the Parrothead ethos.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Naturally, his fans were devastated by his death. \u201cNo performer, past, present or future, will impact my life in such a positive and incredible way,\u201d wrote one fan on JBNews.com, a forum for devoted fans. (This enthusiast attended 67 concerts.) \u201cSail on Jimmy. And thank you.\u201d Another poster reported wearing Jimmy Buffett merch the day he learned of his passing and having complete strangers, also devastated, come mourn with him; others expressed gratitude for the close friends they\u2019d made at Buffett shows and raising their children on his music via Buffett\u2019s Radio Margaritaville SiriusXM channel.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Still others spoke of the salubrious psychological effect Buffett\u2019s work had on them. \u201cLike many of you, winter\u2019s quite a struggle for me,\u201d wrote Finnsaremorefun, who had been gearing up to attend an 18th show before the sad news. \u201cIt\u2019s a mental challenge more than physical, and it\u2019s been Jimmy\u2019s books, stories, music and anticipation of every summer tour that has helped get me through those difficult months.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Musical Mogul<\/h3>\n
\"Photo

Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images
Down to Earth<\/b>: A young Buffett captured with his guitar in 1970.<\/p><\/div>\n

Jimmy Buffett wasn\u2019t born the \u201ctropical troubadour,\u201d of course, though his ship captain grandfather\u2019s tales of the high seas fascinated him. Raised in Mississippi and Alabama, Buffett hit Nashville after college to pursue music. When things didn\u2019t really click and with his brief first marriage fizzling, he made his way to Key West in 1971. The not-yet built-up Navy town felt like home to him, and he wrote songs about the unbothered vibe of the place, the people it drew and some of the fringier characters he met there, singing in bars at night while doing day work on fishing boats to pay the bills.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>His mix of folk, country and rock with a splash of Calypso was earning him a following. In 1973, he began to release albums, some of which have songs that his fans adore, even if they didn\u2019t know about them until after his more popular songs hit the airwaves. (\u201cCome Monday\u201d made it to No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1974, and the Coral Reefer Band got to open for the Eagles.)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>But it was \u201cMargaritaville\u201d in 1977, a back-of-the-napkin composition that reached No. 8 on the charts, that brought Buffett money and wide recognition. The song was even inducted into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry for its cultural significance. In 1983, after the restaurant chain Chi-Chi\u2019s tried to name one of their drinks \u201cMargaritaville,\u201d and even though song titles cannot be copyrighted, Buffett sued and won, successfully arguing that \u201cMargaritaville\u201d is synonymous with him.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>That\u2019s how his empire got started. After giving the name to a Key West resort and restaurant, Buffett eventually took on a business partner. At the time of his passing, Margaritaville Holdings included 29 restaurants, 35+ bars, including Air Margaritaville at airports and \u201cIt\u2019s 5 o\u2019Clock Somewhere\u201d bars, plus casinos, hotels and all-inclusives, sea cruises and even Latitudes, which are three retirement communities that include Fins Up! fitness centers and Last Mango theaters. (\u201cLast Mango in Paris\u201d is the title of a 1985 song.) \u201cIt\u2019s like being in college, but with money and without having to study,\u201d one Daytona Beach Latitudes resident told <\/span>The New Yorker.<\/span><\/i> \u201cYou have a great dorm room, you never have to go to class and there\u2019s always a party.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>All the while, Buffett continued to perform and record (he had a No. 1 hit when he sang with Alan Jackson on a cover of Buffett\u2019s \u201cIt\u2019s 5 O\u2019Clock Somewhere.\u201d) He also wrote several bestsellers over the years, both fiction and non-, and tried his hand at a Broadway musical. Buffett, who was estimated by <\/span>Forbes<\/span><\/i> to be worth $1 billion, was also involved with charitable causes, such as Singing for Change, Save the Manatee Club (which he cofounded) and Last Mango Boatworks, to which he donated the proceeds from Jimmy Buffett apparel. His fans continue to \u201cparty with a purpose\u201d [at phip.com, short for Parrot Heads in Paradise, Inc.] to raise funds for these and other organizations. \u201cSee, it was never about the drinking, like so many people casually dismiss Buffett,\u201d wrote MDShark70, a Parrothead from Maryland who has seen 108 concerts. \u201cHe was the hardest-working \u2018beach bum\u2019 you\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Still Giving<\/h3>\n

Add to Buffett\u2019s legacy of music and joy the fact that his death will no doubt save lives by directing attention to Merkel cell carcinoma (also known as MCC). Sue Manber, among many other things a patient advocate, used to say she was a survivor of MCC. \u201cNow I say I am a survivor of the rare skin cancer that Jimmy Buffett died of,\u201d she says. Manber currently serves as the chief patient officer for Publicis Health, a leading health-care communications company, and works closely with The Skin Cancer Foundation to raise awareness of MCC and <\/span>skin cancer risk overall<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Premiere

Kevin Winter\/Getty Images
It\u2019s 5 O\u2019clock Somewhere<\/b>: Buffett brings his beachy vibe to a 2015 party in LA after a Hollywood film premiere.<\/p><\/div>\n

Buffett\u2019s spotlight is indeed now on MCC. Palmettopirate, a 76-year-old fan from South Carolina, saw his dermatologist recently. \u201cI asked [the doctor] this morning if she\u2019d been asked lots of questions about Merkel cell since Jimmy passed away,\u201d he recalls on JBnews.com. \u201cAnd I just said Jimmy. It was like Elvis. She knew right away who I was talking about. And I don\u2019t even know if she\u2019s a fan. But she said she had been asked several times a day.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The evidence of his impact is more than anecdotal. The Skin Cancer Foundation\u2019s website saw a huge spike in traffic in the <\/span>days after Buffett\u2019s passing<\/span><\/a>, and it remained high. The week that Buffett\u2019s cause of death was revealed, the site saw half a million visitors, as opposed to the typical 150,000. Usually the most-visited pages contain information about the more common skin cancers, but 120,000 people visited the <\/span>MCC overview page<\/span><\/a>, compared to just 1,600 the week before. And information from the site was being shared on social media at a high rate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2012, Manber\u2019s daughter noticed a pimple-like growth on her mom\u2019s nose, and Manber wasted no time getting it checked out. Calling her with biopsy results on New Year\u2019s Eve, \u201cThe doctor told me to sit down,\u201d she recalls. \u201cHe said, \u2018You have a rare, aggressive and deadly form of skin cancer. You\u2019re going to need significant treatment.\u2019\u201d After seven surgeries, <\/span>radiation<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>chemotherapy<\/span><\/a>, Manber has defied the odds with no evidence of disease for many years, a rare success story given the treatments that were available when she was diagnosed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As with all skin cancers, <\/span>early detection<\/span><\/a> is crucial, and if you don\u2019t know a disease even exists, early detection is unlikely. \u201c<\/span>Treatment options<\/span><\/a> now give you so much more hope than just 11 years ago when I was diagnosed,\u201d says Manber, who adds \u201cher dream\u201d would be to organize free skin checks at Margaritaville properties around the country. \u201cHis passing is terrible news \u2014 a tragedy,\u201d she says, \u201cBut we should always find the good, and because of the power of his brand and the impact he had on his huge fan base, if he could help every one of his fans lower their risk, I think he would have been all for it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From what his friends and fans have said about the man, it sure seems that way. Jimmy Buffett will be remembered for the joy and community he brought through his music and the way his Margaritaville havens give folks a way to relax in flip-flops and sip on an umbrella drink when real life drifts too far from the beach. Asked in 2020 by <\/span>Rolling Stone <\/span><\/i>how he\u2019d want to be remembered, he replied, \u201cI\u2019d say, \u2018He had a good time and made a lot of people happy\u2019 would be good. Yeah, that\u2019d be good.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/h5>\n

Stephanie Dolgoff<\/span><\/span><\/strong> is a health and lifestyle journalist<\/span> living in New York City. She prefers the mountains to the<\/span> beach but never turns down an umbrella drink<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a quiet battle with Merkel cell carcinoma, the late musician Jimmy Buffett gives fans a second act, raising awareness for this rare but aggressive disease.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":26,"featured_media":8248,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,2880],"tags":[5705,5653,5706,4149,31,5659],"class_list":["post-8247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-skin-cancer-information","category-the-skin-cancer-foundation-journal","tag-how-did-jimmy-buffett-die","tag-jimmy-buffett","tag-jimmy-buffett-cause-of-death","tag-mcc","tag-merkel-cell-carcinoma","tag-merkel-cell-skin-cancer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPlay On, Jimmy Buffett - The Skin Cancer Foundation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After a quiet battle with Merkel cell carcinoma, the late musician Jimmy Buffett gives fans a second act, raising awareness for this rare but aggressive disease.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Play On, Jimmy Buffett\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After a quiet battle with Merkel cell carcinoma, the late musician Jimmy Buffett gives fans a second act, raising awareness for this rare but aggressive disease.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Skin Cancer Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/skincancerfoundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-08-15T09:58:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-03T16:58:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/1.-Buffett-opener.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"674\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stephanie Dolgoff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@skincancerorg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@skincancerorg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Stephanie Dolgoff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Stephanie Dolgoff\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/person\/067b5e8bb0445207098ece7038a6b013\"},\"headline\":\"Play On, Jimmy Buffett\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-15T09:58:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-03T16:58:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/\"},\"wordCount\":2162,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/1.-Buffett-opener.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"How did Jimmy Buffett die\",\"Jimmy Buffett\",\"Jimmy Buffett cause of death\",\"MCC\",\"Merkel Cell Carcinoma\",\"Merkel cell skin cancer\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Skin Cancer Information\",\"The Skin Cancer Foundation Journal\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/\",\"name\":\"Play On, Jimmy Buffett - The Skin Cancer Foundation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/1.-Buffett-opener.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-15T09:58:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-03T16:58:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"After a quiet battle with Merkel cell carcinoma, the late musician Jimmy Buffett gives fans a second act, raising awareness for this rare but aggressive disease.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/1.-Buffett-opener.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/1.-Buffett-opener.jpg\",\"width\":11816,\"height\":7777,\"caption\":\"JImmy Buffett Illustration\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Play On, Jimmy Buffett\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/\",\"name\":\"The Skin Cancer Foundation\",\"description\":\"Education, prevention, early detection, and treatment of skin cancer\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Skin Cancer Foundation\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/SCF-LOGO.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/SCF-LOGO.png\",\"width\":273,\"height\":291,\"caption\":\"The Skin Cancer Foundation\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/skincancerfoundation\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/skincancerorg\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/skincancerorg\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-skin-cancer-foundation\/\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/skincancer\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SkinCancerFoundation\",\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Skin_Cancer_Foundation\",\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@skincancerorg\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/person\/067b5e8bb0445207098ece7038a6b013\",\"name\":\"Stephanie Dolgoff\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3bd4bbd41bef48801233e792c62c73d1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3bd4bbd41bef48801233e792c62c73d1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Stephanie Dolgoff\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/author\/sdolgoff\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Play On, Jimmy Buffett - The Skin Cancer Foundation","description":"After a quiet battle with Merkel cell carcinoma, the late musician Jimmy Buffett gives fans a second act, raising awareness for this rare but aggressive disease.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Play On, Jimmy Buffett","og_description":"After a quiet battle with Merkel cell carcinoma, the late musician Jimmy Buffett gives fans a second act, raising awareness for this rare but aggressive disease.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/","og_site_name":"The Skin Cancer Foundation","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/skincancerfoundation","article_published_time":"2024-08-15T09:58:33+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-09-03T16:58:11+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/1.-Buffett-opener.jpg","width":1024,"height":674,"type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Stephanie Dolgoff","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@skincancerorg","twitter_site":"@skincancerorg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Stephanie Dolgoff","Est. reading time":"11 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/"},"author":{"name":"Stephanie Dolgoff","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/person\/067b5e8bb0445207098ece7038a6b013"},"headline":"Play On, Jimmy Buffett","datePublished":"2024-08-15T09:58:33+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-03T16:58:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/"},"wordCount":2162,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/1.-Buffett-opener.jpg","keywords":["How did Jimmy Buffett die","Jimmy Buffett","Jimmy Buffett cause of death","MCC","Merkel Cell Carcinoma","Merkel cell skin cancer"],"articleSection":["Skin Cancer Information","The Skin Cancer Foundation Journal"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/","url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/","name":"Play On, Jimmy Buffett - The Skin Cancer Foundation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/1.-Buffett-opener.jpg","datePublished":"2024-08-15T09:58:33+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-03T16:58:11+00:00","description":"After a quiet battle with Merkel cell carcinoma, the late musician Jimmy Buffett gives fans a second act, raising awareness for this rare but aggressive disease.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/1.-Buffett-opener.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/1.-Buffett-opener.jpg","width":11816,"height":7777,"caption":"JImmy Buffett Illustration"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/play-on-jimmy-buffett\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Play On, Jimmy Buffett"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/","name":"The Skin Cancer Foundation","description":"Education, prevention, early detection, and treatment of skin cancer","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#organization","name":"The Skin Cancer Foundation","url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/SCF-LOGO.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/SCF-LOGO.png","width":273,"height":291,"caption":"The Skin Cancer Foundation"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/skincancerfoundation","https:\/\/x.com\/skincancerorg","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/skincancerorg\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-skin-cancer-foundation\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/skincancer\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SkinCancerFoundation","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Skin_Cancer_Foundation","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@skincancerorg"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/person\/067b5e8bb0445207098ece7038a6b013","name":"Stephanie Dolgoff","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3bd4bbd41bef48801233e792c62c73d1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3bd4bbd41bef48801233e792c62c73d1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Stephanie Dolgoff"},"url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/author\/sdolgoff\/"}]}},"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}