A little more than two months after his death, the CMAs honored Jimmy Buffett with a touching tribute performance.

According to CNN, country music stars Kenny Chesney, Mac McAnally, Alan Jackson, and the Zac Brown Band took to the stage of the awards show to perform a medley of Jimmy Buffett’s most well-known hits. Among the songs sung were A Pirate Looks At Forty and Margaritaville. Photographs of the singing legend also appeared on the video screens during the touching performance. At the end of the performance, Chesney, who was close to Buffett, declared, “Thank you, Jimmy.”

Jimmy Buffett passed away in September at the age of 76 after a four-year battle with Merkel cell skin cancer. CNN reports that although he was going through treatments for the condition, the singer and songwriter continued to tour and perform. 

According to his obituary, which is located on his website, Buffett had filled arenas with fans known as “Parrott Heads” and popularized a “significant blend” of folk, country, and Caribbean music. “Although he was best known for upbeat party songs,  Buffett first achieved notoriety for thoughtful ballads that showed the influence of Texas songwriters such as Jerry Jeff Walker and Canadian Gordon Lightfoot.”

Kenny Chesney Says Jimmy Buffett Taught Others About ‘The Poetry in Just Living‘

Following the news about Jimmy Buffett’s passing, Kenny Chesney spoke to People about the musician and his long-time friend. 

“Jimmy painted pictures and short stories in all the songs he wrote,” Chesney told the media outlet. “He taught a lot of people about the poetry in just living, especially this kid from East Tennessee.”

Jimmy Buffett was also known for performing his hit song Margaritaville over the years. During a 2021 interview with the Arizona Republic, Buffett spoke about the ‘Ville and what it meant to him. “There was no such place as Margaritaville. It was a made-up place in my mind, basically made up about my experiences in Key West and having to leave Key West and go on the road to work and then come back and spend time by the beach.”

Buffett called Margaritaville a “pure escapism.” He then added. “I’m not the first one to do it, nor shall I probably be the last. But I think it’s really a part of the human condition that you’ve got to have some fun. You’ve got to get away from whatever you do to make a living or other parts of life that stress you out. I try to make it at least 50/50 fun to work and so far it’s worked out”