For 45 years, one woman reigned as “Queen of the Parrotheads”: Jane Slagsvol, the beloved wife of Jimmy Buffett. Jimmy, who died on September 1 at age 76, wed Jane in 1977, and they were married for over four decades.
However, Jane wasn’t Jimmy’s first wife. He was married once before he said “I do” to Jane. The “Come Monday” singer walked down the aisle with Margie Washicheck, but the marriage lasted three years before they went their separate ways.
Soon after, Jimmy met Jane, and the two started a journey together that lasted more than four decades. Jimmy and Jane welcomed two daughters – Savannah Jane Buffett, a radio personality on SiriusXM’s Radio Margaritaville, and filmmaker Sarah Delaney. The couple also adopted a son, Cameron Marley.
While Jimmy’s music was known as the soundtrack to tropical drinks, sunsets, and gentle waves, there was some trouble in paradise during his long marriage. Learn more about Jimmy’s wife and past loves.
Who Is Jane Slagsvol?
Despite being a famous musician and a billionaire, not much is known about Jimmy’s personal life. He gave a bit of a rundown, including how he met and separated from Jane, in his 1998 autobiography, A Pirate Looks At Fifty.
“I flunked out of college. I learned to play the guitar, lived on the beach, lived in the French Quarter, finally got laid and didn’t go to Vietnam,” he wrote, per The New York Times. “I got back into school, started a band, got a job on Bourbon Street, graduated from college, flunked my draft physical, broke up my band, and went out on the road solo. I signed a record deal, got married, moved to Nashville, had my guitars stolen, bought a Mercedes, worked at Billboard magazine, put out my first album, went broke, met Jerry Jeff Walker, wrecked the Mercedes, got divorced, and moved to Key West.”
“I started another band,” he wrote, continuing, “Worked the road, had my second and last hit, bought a house in Aspen, started spending summers in New England, got married, broke my leg three times in one year, had a baby girl, made more records, bought a bigger boat, and sailed away to St. Barts. I got separated from the right girl, sold the boat, sold the house in Aspen, moved back to Key West, worked the road, and made more records. I rented an apartment in Paris, went to Brazil for Carnival, learned to fly, went into therapy, quit doing dope, bought my first seaplane, flew all over the Caribbean, almost got a second divorce, moved to Malibu for more therapy, and got back with the right girl.”
Jimmy fell in love with Jane when she was a student at the University of South Carolina, per Daily Mail. Jane was a strong influence on Jimmy, helping him adopt a more professional approach to his music, and she even became his muse.
While on tour, he was spending time in his hotel room when he missed his wife so much that he wrote her a song. That tune would be “Come Monday,” a Top 40 hit for Jimmy. Jane also appeared in the music video.
The timing of Jimmy and Jane’s romance is unclear. While many publications list their first meeting in 1976, Jimmy’s “Come Monday” was a hit in 1974.
However, the couple took time apart during their marriage. He and his wife separated in the 1980s.
“I had been with Jimmy since I was a child, through the craziest times,” she said in 1998, per Showbiz Cheatsheet. “And I didn’t have a clue who I was. So I left. I got sober.” The couple reconciled in 1991 and have been together ever since.”
Who Is Margie Washichek?
Little is known about Jimmy Buffett’s first wife, Margie Washichek. The two were reportedly married from 1969 to 1971 (or ’72, the date is not clear). The union produced no children, and Jimmy did not share many details about the experience during his lifetime.