Jimmy Buffett’s Ashes Were Smuggled Into His Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction With Help From His Daughter

Jimmy Buffett was present at his posthumous Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, and more than just in spirit.

In a new interview on The Howard Stern Show posted Tuesday (Dec. 2), Kenny Chesney — who helped induct the late tropical rocker alongside James Taylor and guitarist Mac McAnally in 2024 — revealed that some of Buffett’s ashes were smuggled into the venue with some help from daughter Savannah Buffett. “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,’” the country star told the radio host.

“And it was a small urn,” Chesney continued. “He had Jimmy’s ashes in his coat pocket. So Jimmy’s ashes were in Mac McAnally’s coat pocket on stage with us as [Jimmy] was getting inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”

Apparently, Savannah was all for the idea, because she was the one who handed off her dad’s ashes to McAnally before the ceremony. So even after he passed, Jimmy found a way to join the party,” Chesney added.

After five decades of writing iconic hits such as Billboard Hot 100 entires “Margaritaville,” “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” and “Cheeseburger In Paradise,” Jimmy Buffett died at the age of 76 in September 2023. In October the following year, he was inducted into the Rock Hall alongside Cher, Mary J. Blige, Ozzy Osbourne, Kool & the Gang, A Tribe Called Quest, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Dionne Warwick, MC5 and Norman Whitfield.

Watch Kenny Chesney recall how Jimmy’s ashes were smuggled into the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame below.