MINNEAPOLIS — Decades of dressing Jimmy Buffett provided Helen Hiatt with a lifetime of memories.
The Minnesota native said he was as he appeared, a kind, lighthearted, generous man who loved music and the Caribbean.
"He was huge. The fans. I had never seen anything like those fans. And, the tailgating," Hiatt said.
Her journey with Jimmy began in 1991. She stuck around for 27 years.
"He was sweet, so sweet. I mean Jimmy kind of treated a lot of us like family," Hiatt said.
She said he would stop in every morning on tour to say hi to everyone in the wardrobe. In the early years working together, Hiatt recalled elaborate performances that included Polynesian fire dancers, and backup signers alongside Buffett.
"I worked for Prince then I go work for Jimmy Buffett. Nobody is wearing suits!" Hiatt joked.
The man who brought the tropical paradise to cities all over the country was known for his signature floral shirts and flip-flops. Hiatt helped piece together his signature look but mostly remembers his kindness.
"He was so generous," Hiatt said.
An example of that generosity is when Buffett surprised her by paying off her mortgage.
"The band in heaven is really something," Hiatt said.
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