Jimmy Buffett’s sisters, Lucy Buffett and Laurie McGuane (née Buffett), are mourning the loss of their late brother. The “Margaritaville” artist’s death shocked fans when he died at 76 years old on September 1 following a years-long battle with Merkel skin cancer.
The late singer-songwriter maintained a close bond with his siblings, especially with Laurie. Just days after Jimmy died, Laurie revealed in an interview that they battled cancer together.
Learn more about Jimmy’s sisters below.
Laurie Buffett
Laurie is married to her husband, writer Thomas McGuane. The two live in Montana, which Laurie has indicated via her Instagram account throughout several at-home pictures.
While speaking with PEOPLE on September 4, Laurie revealed that she and Jimmy were diagnosed with two different forms of cancer at “about the same time” in their lives.
“It was four years ago, and Jimmy was actually diagnosed first,” she explained to the outlet. “When Jimmy found out [I had cancer], he brought the whole family and the dogs to Montana to be with me. … We talked before and after our scans. We shared a club that nobody wants to join.”
Though Laurie noted that she was “thunderstruck that Jimmy didn’t make it,” she carried on by trying to “continue with [her] life the same way Jimmy has done.”
“Jimmy wanted to perform the shows that he had to cancel,” Laurie added. “He brought joy to so many. I am very emotional now. When Jimmy was in the world, I felt safe.”
Despite his untimely death, Laurie reflected on Jimmy’s final days. She told the outlet that they “shared memories of [their] childhood” in Alabama and that he maintained a positive attitude right before he died.
“We would repeat stories, and Jimmy would laugh and nod his head to let us know that he remembered,” Laurie explained. “I have never seen Jimmy depressed — ever. Not even at the end. We all like to joke and laugh, and that was very much Jimmy.”
In the wake of Jimmy’s death, Laurie took to Instagram to pen a heart-wrenching tribute. Her carousel post featured a childhood portrait of her and Jimmy, in addition to a more recent picture of them smiling for the camera on a sunny afternoon. Laurie also revealed in her caption that she called Jimmy “Bubba” in his lifetime. For his part, Jimmy nicknamed Laurie “Lala.”
“Lulu and I were just with Bubba,” she captioned her Instagram post on September 2. “We talked about our childhood where only siblings can relate. I told him I’ve known him longer than anyone on the planet. He smiled with those twinkling blue eyes and squeezed my hand.”
Lucy Buffett
Jimmy and Laurie called Lucy by her childhood nickname, “LuLu.” The Mobile, Alabama, native is a cookbook author and the owner of LuLu’s restaurant in Gulf Shores, according to her personal website.
In addition to her nickname, Lucy is also called the “crazy sista” of the Buffett siblings, per her portfolio. Before settling into her role as a restaurant owner, Lucy worked as a caterer, a personal chef, an actor and a copywriter among multiple other gigs.
Though she didn’t publicly react to Jimmy’s death, Lucy included a tribute for him on her website. The restauranteur recalled a time when “Jimmy played the beach in Gulf Shores with a free concert after the oil spill” in 2010.
“Thirty-thousand people packed the beach and Jimmy was deeply moved by the cause and the response of the crowd,” Lucy noted. “We Gulf Coasters were heartbroken to what was happening to our Gulf of Mexico. He brought a little healing to all of us that day.”