VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — With the passing of Jimmy Buffett last Friday, Parrot Heads throughout the world, and in Hampton Roads, mourned the son of a son of a sailor who brought so much joy to life through his music.
Buffett was no stranger to the area. His laid-back lifestyle struck a cord with fans in the region, and 10 On Your Side caught up with four of them in Virginia Beach.
“You can’t swing a cat without hitting a Parrot Head,” Robbie Meade said.
Buffett fans all, they wear it on their sleeves, their hats and on their rides.
“He just brought us all together over the last 27 years as a family, and as friends,” said Parrot Head Herb Holzheter, “and it’s just like losing a family member.”
Another Parrot Head, Graham Hallowes, said “it was just, like, unbelievable, ’cause that man was supposed to live forever. He was supposed to be like Peter Pan.”
Joe Czerwieski said he got a text around 4:30 a.m. “and I had to wake my wife up and tell her. It really hit us.”
“It affected us all very deeply,” Meade said, “some more than others, obviously.”
These guys came together through their love of Jimmy Buffett and through the Parrot Head Club of Tidewater.
Tuesday evening, the club gathered at A.J. Gators off Holland Road to celebrate his life and music.
“He’s pretty irreplaceable, I think,” Holzheter said, “you know, I think the legacy that he’s left.”
But the music, like that legacy, will endure.
“You’ve got local clubs like us that still love his music, promote helping the community, having fun, family, so he’ll live on.
“He’ll live on.”
