NEW YORK (AP) — “Margaritaville” singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett has died at age 76 after a four-year battle with cancer. A statement on Buffett’s official website and social media pages says the singer died Friday “surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs.” Buffett created beach bum soft rock with an escapist Caribbean flavor song and turned that celebration of loafing into an empire of restaurants, resorts and frozen concoctions. The song ”Margaritaville,” by far his biggest hit, was released in 1977 and spent 22 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100. It became a seaside standard and inspired generations of fans — known as Parrotheads — to celebrate easy living.