Jimmy Buffett’s Longtime Friend Carl Hiaasen Recalls ‘Special Times’ They Shared Before His Death (Exclusive)

Carl Hiaasen, a close friend of Jimmy Buffett, is paying tribute to the late celebrity.

Hiaasen, 71, talked exclusively with PEOPLE on Monday, August 12, while at the Bad Monkey premiere in Los Angeles. Buffett passed away on September 1, 2023, at the age of 76.

While acknowledging that he and the “Margaritaville” singer had “so many” wonderful moments together, Hiaasen emphasized that many of those moments were spent “either on a boat or an airplane” when Buffett wasn’t performing.

“He loved [performing] more than anything, but when he wasn’t, he was fishing or flying somewhere to fish or go surfing,” the reporter stated. “Those were just such special times.”

Hiaasen claims that Buffett and he got together “many, many, many years ago” in Florida. “His heart was so much in Florida … and we’d made many trips to Key West together,” he stated.

Tellingly, Hiaasen recalled occasions when Buffett “could relax when he wasn’t performing,” the musician “believed that we all should be having fun all the time.”

It wasn’t a performance. It extended beyond his brand. He went on, “That was his way of life. “That dude, he had a great life, and he would be the first to tell you that.”

Hiaasen recalled a particular occasion when Buffett allowed his casual attitude to life guide him. The star reportedly skipped a Bahamas outing with pals to head to a private island to play golf before dusk.

“As he boards a seaplane carrying his golf clubs while we’re on a little island in the Bahamas, we ask, ‘Where is Jimmy going? We have about one and a half hours of daylight remaining to land this. He said, “And before dinner, Jimmy was invited to play a five-hole golf course that some rich dude with a little island had built.”