Kenny Chesney became close friends with  Jimmy Buffett. So when Buffett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024, one year after he passed away from cancer, Chesney was tapped to perform, along with Mac MacAnally, who was in Buffett’s band, and James Taylor.

Chesney now reveals that Buffett was also with them on stage, sort of.

“It was an interesting thing to be at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On top of that, to be paying tribute to a really good friend of yours that was no longer with us, Jimmy Buffett,” Chesney says on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show. “And then on top of that, literally, I looked over to my left shoulder, and that’s really James Taylor sitting beside you. It was one of those moments where I’m going, ‘Wow, I never thought that I would be sitting right here.’ And we were backstage.

“We were sitting back there warming up, trying to figure out our parts and stuff,” he continues. “And Mac comes up to me, and he goes, ‘Look at this.’ It was a small urn, and he had Jimmy’s ashes in his coat pocket. So Jimmy’s ashes were in Mac McAnally’s coat pocket on stage with us, as he was getting inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”

Chesney says that it was Buffett’s daughter, Savannah, who gave MacAnally the ashes.

“Jimmy found a way to join the party,” Chesney adds.

Kenny Chesney Reveals How Jimmy Buffett Inspired His Career

Without Buffett, Chesney may not have the superstar career he currently enjoys. Chesney recently opened up about Buffett, and how the “Margaritaville” singer inspired him and the music he makes.

It was when Chesney went to see Buffett perform at a now-closed outdoor venue in Nashville. For Chesney, it’s the night that everything changed for him.

“When I went to my first Jimmy Buffett show, I had just moved to Nashville, and I had no money,” Chesney recalls to People. “It was pouring rain, and I was up in the grass, where you go when you can’t afford a real seat. But that night changed my life because I’d never seen anything like it, for someone to give so much love from the stage and connect with an audience like that. I was lying in bed at night going, ‘Wow, I can’t believe what I just saw.’

“And then you fast-forward,” he adds, “and it’s surreal that you become friends with that person and collaborate with that person in the studio and have that person just really inspire you. And that’s what Jimmy was for me. You have people that create space for you to do your own thing, and Jimmy was one of those people.”

Kenny Chesney’s Country Music Hall of Fame Induction

Chesney was recently honored with his own musical tributes by Kelsea Ballerini, Megan Moroney, and Eric Church when he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

“Last year on the road … Megan asked me a really smart question,” Chesney shared during his induction. “She asked me if I ever let myself feel accomplished. I remember we were outside the Pittsburgh Steelers football stadium, just hanging out by the bus after a show. And I thought that was a very smart question for someone that’s just now getting into the business. And the truth is, I’ve never really let myself sit in accomplishment very much. I’ve always been very creative, very driven.

“But tonight, I can tell you, walking into that rotunda and taking that group shot with a lot of my heroes and a lot of my friends, it was the first time that I’ve ever felt accomplished in my life,” he continued. “This is an unbelievable feeling to stand here in this moment, and with every cell in my body, I feel the gravity of this moment.”