‘Blue Bloods’ Star Donnie Wahlberg Reacts to Jimmy Buffett’s Death

Donnie Wahlberg is paying tribute to a late music legend. “Margaritaville” singer Jimmy Buffett passed away early Saturday morning. Along with having hits like “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” he also did quite a bit of acting. His last role was in 2022 in a CBS’ long-running procedural Blue Bloods episode. In the Season 12 episode “On the Arm,” Buffett portrayed himself and, ironically, a con artist pretending to be him. The con artist, Dickie Delaney, was known to be an impersonator of the musician. After getting conned by him and paying for a very expensive dinner, Danny pursues him in an effort to put an end to it all. Luckily, he did end up meeting the actual Jimmy Buffett.

After news of Buffett’s death came out, Wahlberg took to Instagram with a sweet message. Posting a photo from his time on Blue Bloods, Wahlberg mentioned that “there is a popular audio used for IG reels – ‘when you think you’re the coolest guy in the parking lot, and then this guy shows up’. Jimmy Buffett was that guy! The coolest, and one of the absolute nicest, guys I ever knew. I was so looking forward to seeing you, and working with you, again Jimmy. Now, I’ll look forward to catching a most heavenly sunset with you some day, instead. My eternal respect and gratitude to you, my friend.”

It’s unknown if Jimmy Buffett was planning on returning to Blue Bloods for another guest appearance. Or if Donnie Wahlberg was looking forward to working with him music-wise. Either way, it’s definitely sad that we won’t see those two come together again. Wahlberg likely has more than just the one photo from when Buffett guest-starred on , so he has plenty of memories from that week. And thanks to streaming, fans can also rewatch the episode on Paramount+.

Reportedly, Buffett died from cancer. He had been dealing with skin cancer, which advanced into lymphoma and eventually killed him. Buffett entered hospice early this week before succumbing to the cancer at 76. Even though he’s best known for his incredible music, his role in Blue Bloods was definitely iconic. Playing yourself and someone who is pretending to be you is not easy. Buffett made it look like it was a walk in the park, just like with everything else he did. Our condolences go to Jimmy Buffett’s family, friends, and loved ones.