Luke Bryan Dedicates a Vegas Residency Show to Jimmy Buffett

Luke Bryan mounted a fittingly fun-loving tribute to the late Jimmy Buffett during a recent installment of his Luke Bryan: Las Vegas residency late last week.

Donning a tropical shirt and holding a tiny red Solo plastic shot cup, Bryan paid tribute to the singer, who died last Friday (Sept. 1). The singer's show took place just one day after Buffett's death, on Saturday (Sept. 2) at Vegas' Resorts World Theatre.

"We're going to dedicate tonight to the great Jimmy Buffett, ladies and gentlemen," Bryan told his crowd, raising his cup aloft in a toast as the audience roared their love for the late musical legend.

Bryan then launched into a rendition of "Margaritaville," Buffett's late-1970s signature hit. Over the course of his career, Buffett expanded the song's sun-soaked, carefree aesthetic into a brand embodying the beach bum lifestyle, complete with hotels, casinos, restaurants and even a cruise ship.

Bryan's rendition of "Margaritaville" wasn't technically perfect — he flubbed a few of the lyrics, asking the crowd to sing along with him — but it was full of heart and humor, making the cover a perfect tribute to the star who parlayed those same personality traits into a genre-spanning, decades-long, multi-hyphenate career.

"Here's to the great Jimmy Buffett," Bryan said as he concluded the song, doffing his hat in homage to Buffett's life and legacy.

In Bryan's own career, he's adopted some of the carefree fun of Buffett's musical catalog. His 2020 country hit "One Margarita" even name-checks the legend in the lyric "Hey señorita, don't you think we need / A salt and a Buffett song?"

Buffett's death was announced via a statement posted to his website, saying he died peacefully late on Friday night surrounded by loved ones. "He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many," the statement added.

The singer is survived by his wife Jane and their three children. He was 76 years old.