Tokens of affection pile up at Jimmy Buffett landmarks in Pascagoula

Fans are leaving behind Juicy Fruit, Heinz 57, salt shakers, and, of course, margaritas.

Hometown tributes and memorials continue for music icon, Jimmy Buffett His hometown of Pascagoula continue to send him messages of love and remembrance. (wlox)

By Noah Noble

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WLOX) - Remembrances continue piling up at sites tied to Jimmy Buffett in his birthplace of Pascagoula.

At his childhood home, thank you letters are plastered on the plaque outside. Just a mile away, the Buffett Bridge is lined with tokens like lost shakers of salt, Juicy Fruit and margaritas.

“He typically has a Labor Day weekend show, and it just seems fitting to pay tribute to one of the greatest artists of all time,” said Heather Dehart. “We also brought some flowers and left them on the bridge.”

Dehart and her family live in Biloxi, but made the quick drive to Pascagoula to honor Buffett. Coming from further away, Billy and Amanda Brown stopped by on their way home to Texas after vacationing in Florida.

“I’ve been a fan since I was five-years-old. My brother would play cassettes and drive me around in his Ford Bronco,” Amanda said. “In 2012, I met my husband in the parking lot while tailgating before a Buffett concert.”

Under the sign dedicating the bridge to Buffett, Gloria Arendall planted a flower in honor of the late musician.

“I just can’t get over that he has passed away,” she said. “I put a little flower out there and it reminds me of what he loved: the tropics.”

More than just his music, Jimmy Buffett’s lifestyle was also an inspiration for so many, like Tom Brown. He once shared a beer with Buffett during a Jazz Fest show in Chicago.

“I just always embraced the escapism part of his philosophy,” Brown said. “I learned to sail because Jimmy Buffett sailed. I eventually got a sea plane because Jimmy Buffett had a sea plane.”

In downtown Pascagoula, Scranton’s co-owner Richard Chenoweth gathered with friends as they remembered Buffett and his frequent stops at the restaurant.

“Every time he’d come up and hug us, he was just a great guy, great personality. What you saw on the stage is how he was in life,” he said. “With the words and the music and the songs, people connected to him. And he was genuine. That’s the way he was. you couldn’t help but like him.”

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Noah Noble

Noah Noble

As a native of Ocean Springs, Noah Noble has spent most of his life on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.