Jimmy Buffett's friend Carl Hiaasen looked back at the late singer's resilience before his death.
Hiaasen joined the long list of people who honored Buffett after his death on Friday at the age of 76. The singer's website revealed that his exact cause of death was Merkel cell skin cancer, a rare and progressive type of the dreaded disease.
Jimmy Buffett "Invincible" While Battling Cancer
In his exclusive interview with People, Buffett's pal shared how the singer chose not to slow down even after receiving his doctor's orders that he remained unfazed even during an encounter with dangerous sea creatures.
According to Hiaasen, he and Buffett were in the Bahamas in October 2022. At that time, the "Margaritaville" hitmaker was already enduring health problems but still opted to go fishing.
"He was fishing when a large lemon shark was heading for him," he recalled. "He had a drone up because he wanted a video of this experience. He was so excited because he wanted to put it on stage while he was performing during his next tour when he performed his song 'Fins.'"
Hiassen noted how excited Buffett looked although the shark was close to him, applauding how nothing ever slowed him down.
READ ALSO: Jimmy Buffett's Last Video Captured Singer Looking Extremely Exhausted Before Death
Jimmy Buffett Was "Larger Than Life"
Hiaasen honored Buffett as someone "invincible" and "larger than life," and he also included the late musician in his upcoming children's book, "Wrecker." He was still able to show it to Buffett before his death.
When the shark seemed to be not enough to test Buffett's resiliency, the singer reportedly did not take it easy even when he worked his way around a foil surfboard.
"After five or more minutes, he came back, hopped off, and was as happy as can be," Hiaasen said. "I truly thought he could beat this because he had such a phenomenal attitude."
After Buffett's death, the pal reportedly found it hard to accept and talk about it.
It was noted that the "A Pirate Looks at Forty" singer also faced three near-death experiences decades before his death, including the time he found himself in the middle of the ocean, his seaplane almost capsized, and the incident when Jamaican authorities shot his plane after mistaking it as a part of a drug-smuggling operation.
READ MORE: Jimmy Buffett Faced 3 Near-Death Experiences Prior to Actual Death at 76
