Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage
Spiritually, it’s always five o’clock for the legend known as Jimmy Buffett, who’s now resting in paradise. But on October 19, 2024, he still found himself onstage at his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Kenny Chesney, along with James Taylor and guitarist Mac McAnally, helped posthumously induct their friend into the organization that evening, as Buffett was a late addition to the inductee class through the Musical Excellence Award. (The trio performed “Come Monday” as opposed to “Margaritaville,” but we won’t nitpick; it was a lovely performance.) Chesney even shared in a new Howard Stern interview that the group — stay with us, this isn’t the reefer talking — snuck in a few spoonfuls of Buffett to appropriately pay tribute to their musical godfather.
“We were sitting back there warming up, trying to figure out our parts and stuff, and Mac comes up to me and he goes, ‘Look at this,’ and it was a small urn,” Chesney said. “He had Jimmy’s ashes in his coat pocket. So Jimmy’s ashes were in Mac McAnally’s coat pocket onstage with us as he was getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.” Buffett’s daughter, Savannah, supported the idea and arranged the secret urn hand-off with McAnally. “So even after he passed,” Chesney added, “Jimmy found a way to join the party.” If only someone had the wherewithal to do that for Joe Cocker this year.
