Jimmy Buffet and Jane Slagsvol. | Source: Getty Images
Margie Washichek was the first woman Jimmy Buffett called his wife in what he remembered as a "shallow" attempt at being a husband. Their marriage was unfulfilling and didn't last long, but the musician found new, long-lasting love.
In March 2013, news emerged that the Cantrell Photography Studio building in Mobile, Alabama, had been demolished by a tornado the previous Christmas. It had become a sight-seeing destination for devoted Jimmy Buffett fans who wanted to see where his musical journey began.
The second floor of the building housed Product Sound Studio, formed by John Edd Thompson, Milton L. Brown, Travis Turk, and Nick Panioutour out of pure passion for music making. They built the recording studio mainly from the scrap they had acquired from a junkyard called Marina Junk.
Jimmy Buffett attends the "Escape To Margaritaville" send off party at Gallow Green at the McKittrick Hotel on September 28, 2017, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
A woman named Margie Washichek was a frequent visitor at Product Sound Studio. Her father owned Marina Junk, but the reason for her recurring presence was to book sessions for her then-lover, the Prince of Key West, Buffett.
Margie Washichek and Jimmy Buffett Were College Sweethearts
Washichek was a student at Spring Hill College, while Buffett attended Mississippi Southern. It was during this time that Buffett committed to music and recorded his first few songs at Product Sound Studios.
He and Washichek, a former Miss USS Alabama, were already engaged. Buffett initially struggled to get his career off the ground but was eventually signed by Buzz Cason. He and Washichek moved to Nashville afterward and married in 1969.
A photo of Jimmy Buffet taken on January 1, 1970. | Source: Getty Images
Margie Washichek and Jimmy Buffett's Bittersweet Marriage
Washichek appreciated Buffet's musical talents, but their married life was miserable. It's unknown what kind of work Washichek pursued, but Buffett was "flat broke." The "only thing of value" he recalled having with her was a Mercedez vehicle he couldn't maintain.
During their marriage, Buffett also developed an "obsession" with a young woman named Edith, a.k.a. Eddie. She worked at the upper-class clothing store The Looking Glass. Buffett would sit outside the shop, playing his guitar and improvising lyrics that played around with "Eddie."
He filed for divorce from Washichek in September 1972 and left her with the Mercedez. "She deserved it for putting up with my shallow and immature attempt at being a husband," he explained. Beyond this point, little else is known about Washichek.
Jimmy Buffett performs with The Coral Reefer Band at The Omni Coliseum on September 4, 1976, in Atlanta, Georgia. | Source: Getty Images
Jimmy Buffett's Second Marriage Had Its Hurdles, but It Lasted
Buffett first encountered his second wife, Jane Slagsvol, in 1971 while performing at a bar. Slagsvol had visited for the spring break holidays from the University of Southern Carolina, and Buffett saw her again the following night.
They eventually started dating and moved in together. Slagsvol never returned to school afterward and married the guitarist in 1977. Buffett made it big and lived like a rockstar, but it eventually became overwhelming for Slagsvol, and she left.
Jimmy Buffett and his wife, Jane Slagsvol, attend the 17th Annual Rita Hayworth Alzheimers Disease Association Benefit Gala at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on October 9, 2001, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
"I'd been with Jimmy since I was [a] child, through the craziest times, and I didn't have a clue who I was. So I left. I got sober," she reflected. She and Buffett reconciled in 1991 and remained together for decades until his death.
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