Harrison Ford Recalls How Jimmy Buffett Inspired Him to 'Spontaneously' Get His Ear Pierced

Harrison Ford once took style inspiration from Jimmy Buffett.

During the Keep the Party Going: A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett event held at the Hollywood Bowl on April 12, the Indiana Jones actor, now 81, revealed that Buffett is the reason he got his ear pierced. "Margaritaville" rock star Buffett died at age 76 in September.

Ford, who appeared on stage to introduce a performance by Zac Brown Band, told the crowd of attendees, "Jimmy Buffet was a cool guy."

"I remember one day that a long — some might say boozy — lunch with Jimmy and Ed Bradley, and it was Bradley's birthday. I saw both of them had earrings. So right after lunch, I got my ear pierced," recalled Ford. "That's just how infectious Jimmy's coolness is."

"Infectious enough for a 40-year-old man to spontaneously get his f---ing ear pierced. And infectious enough to create an entire culture around his music," the Star Wars actor continued. "There is no other way to say it: There will never be another like Jimmy."

Ford also said "usually cool guys are not that nice" but Buffett "was more than nice."

"He was kind. He was beloved by his family, by his friends, by his band, his crew and his collaborators, and he loved them all back," said Ford.

The tribute event saw performances from Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Sheryl Crow, Jon Bon Jovi and more, plus speakers like Jane Fonda and Woody Harrelson.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published in February 2023, Ford brought up Buffett, calling his pal a "great philosopher" as he spoke about his 2015 near-fatal plane accident.

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"I changed a lot of things in my life [after the crash]. My wife [Calista Flockhart] does not fly with me in vintage airplanes anymore — she will in others. I certainly don’t want to have to recover from that kind of accident again," Ford said at the time. "It was really hard on my family and it was hard on me."

"I went back to flying. 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," he continued, adding, "So in the words of the great philosopher Jimmy Buffett: S--- happens."