Harrison Ford shares how a 'boozy lunch' with Jimmy Buffett led to a spontaneous ear piercing
Harrison Ford shared a story of how an afternoon with the late Jimmy Buffett inspired him to get his ear pierced.
On Saturday, the 81-year-old actor was among stars who honored the musician during the Keep the Party Going: A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett event at Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl.
Buffet died in September at the age of 76 after a battle with skin cancer.
"Jimmy Buffet was a cool guy," Ford said while introducing a performance by the Zac Brown Band, according to People magazine.
"I remember one day that a long — some might say boozy — lunch with Jimmy and [the late news anchor] Ed Bradley, and it was Bradley's birthday. I saw both of them had earrings. So, right after lunch, I got my ear pierced.
"That's just how infectious Jimmy's coolness is," the "Indiana Jones" star added.
"Infectious enough for a 40-year-old man to spontaneously get his f------ ear pierced. And infectious enough to create an entire culture around his music.
"There is no other way to say it: There will never be another like Jimmy."
The "Star Wars" actor noted that "usually cool guys are not that nice" but emphasized that the "Margaritaville" hitmaker was "more than nice."
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"He was kind," Ford said. "He was beloved by his family, by his friends, by his band, his crew and his collaborators, and he loved them all back."
Keep the Party Going featured performances by Paul McCartney, Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, The Eagles, Snoop Dogg, Kenny Chesney, Brandi Carlile and Eric Church, among others, per Variety.
Ford shared a longtime friendship with fellow pilot Buffett. During a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ford cited Buffett while reflecting on his near-fatal plane accident.
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In March 2015, Ford was forced to make an emergency landing on the Penmar Golf Course in Santa Monica, California, after the World War II-era plane he was flying lost engine power. Ford suffered a broken pelvis and a broken ankle, as well as lacerations and bruises.
Though he returned to flying, Ford told the outlet he "changed a lot of things" in his life after the incident.
"My wife [Calista Flockhart] does not fly with me in vintage airplanes anymore. She will in others," he said.
"I certainly don’t want to have to recover from that kind of accident again. It was really hard on my family, and it was hard on me.
"I went back to flying," Ford added. "I know what happened. So, that’s part of the reason [I went back]. There was a mechanical issue with the airplane I could not have known about or attended to in any way. So, in the words of the great philosopher Jimmy Buffett: S--- happens."