MARGARITA maven Jimmy Buffett left behind a $550 million empire built on songs, casinos, eateries, hotels and novels, but at one point when he was struggling, he considered turning pirate and jumping into the drug trade — until he nearly died in a run-in with real smugglers.
Before hitting the big time, Buffett, who died Sept. 1 at age 76, ended up in Key West in the early ’70s after washing out in Nashville.
He lived on a boat, scribbled songs in hammocks and sang in bars while drugs, booze and sex flowed, according to Ryan White in his bio A Good Life All the Way.
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