Jimmy Buffett’s sister, Laurie Buffett McGuane, spoke about fighting her own cancer battle alongside him.
In an exclusive interview with People, McGuane, 74, revealed she and Buffett “were diagnosed with cancer about the same time.”
“It was four years ago and Jimmy was actually diagnosed first. When Jimmy found out [I had cancer] he brought the whole family and the dogs to Montana to be with me,” she added.
After McGuane was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she said her relationship with her brother became closer.
“We talked before and after our scans,” she recalled. “We shared a club that nobody wants to join.”
Now cancer-free, McGuane stated she was “thunderstruck that Jimmy didn’t make it.”
She also credited the “Margaritaville” singer for pushing her to keep going.
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“I rode my horse during my treatments and tried to continue with my life the same way Jimmy has done,” she said of her brother whom she called “Bubba.”
Furthermore, McGuane, who is married to author Tom McGuane, revealed Buffett was “devastated” to have to cancel shows due to his failing health.
She shared:
“Jimmy wanted to perform the shows that he had to cancel. He brought joy to so many. I am very emotional now. When Jimmy was in the world, I felt safe. Even though I have Tom, it will be a whole new thing for me to be without my brother Jimmy.”
Buffet died on Sept. 1 after a four-year battle with Merkle cell skin cancer. He was 76 years old.
McGuane said he “always had a dream that he pursued until the end.”
She continued, “He did a lot of things in between, but hit Key West when he was pretty unknown, and never gave up, up until crowds began coming to listen to him perform. He was a phenomenal person.”