Mac McAnally, an Alabama native who was one of Jimmy Buffett’s closest musical allies, said that the “right words” still fail him three weeks after Buffett’s passing.

McAnally, who’s originally from Red Bay, is an accomplished songwriter, performer and producer who has earned considerable acclaim for his own work, including a run from 2010 to 2018 when he won the Country Music Association’s Musician of the Year award eight times out of nine years. He also has worked extensively with Buffett in his songwriting, in the studio and on stage with the Coral Reefer Band.

Buffett passed on Sept. 1 after several years grappling with aggressive skin cancer. McAnally has performed since then; in a Sept. 7 appearance in Nashville, Ind., he said that “one week ago tonight, I had the privilege to go say goodbye to my buddy. And we got to say the things that we already knew but still wanted to say. There’s no conveyin’ what it means, and I ran out of words and I was about to just bawl like a three-year-old. So I picked up the guitar and I played him this.”

He followed with a rendition of “It’s My Job,” one of his songs that Buffett recorded. Afterward, as the audience applauded, he pointed skyward. He then played Buffett’s “A Pirate Looks at 40.”

McAnally appears to have been quiet on social media since Buffett’s passing. But on Monday he shared a post titled “Loss and gain.”

“I am without words for about three weeks now,” he wrote. “I usually have too many. The closest thing I ever had to a big brother left this world on Sept. 1. I’ve been comforted by so many beautiful tributes and am grateful for them. It is my intent to offer comfort and tribute in words and music for the rest of my life. I’m just slow getting up to speed. Jimmy would be laughing at me (or IS laughing) for dragging my feet.

“What I can say in lieu of the right words that continue to evade is what an honor it is and has been to ride shotgun with a one man fountain of positive energy that saw fit to take me under his wing forty some odd years ago,” McAnally continued. “And to the folks who only knew him from the stage or through the speakers I can tell you he was the same fellow in person that you saw and heard. Trying to help everyone he crossed paths with have the best day possible. Rich folks, poor folks, strangers and friends. Blue and white collars, all religions and political camps. He saw life as a gift to enjoy and his calling was to spread that joy. I’ve never seen anybody do it better.”

McAnally contributed to Buffett’s last studio album, “Equal Strain on All Parts,” which is slated for Nov. 3 release.

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