‘You live on in our hearts.’ Coffee Butler, a Key West music icon, dies at 93
Lofton “Coffee” Butler, a beloved musician in Key West where the city’s amphitheater is named for him, died Tuesday night. He was 93.
The piano player and singer, who in recent years appeared in several sold-out shows at the Key West Theater, fell ill in early January and was hospitalized in Miami. A concert starring Butler and other Keys musicians set for Jan. 17 at the theater was canceled.
On Wednesday, people took to social media to post tributes.
“Key West will never be quite the same without this delightfully kind, energetic, and talented soul,” Crystal Menta wrote on Facebook. “Thank you for the joy you’ve spread and the beautiful memories that you’ve made for so many throughout the years. You live on in our hearts forever, Coffee Butler.”
Butler chose to stay in Key West rather than accept big-time offers, including one to help open a venue in Las Vegas. A performer for 70 years, he played all the fabled Key West clubs such as Howie’s, Logan’s and the Hukilau.
Over the years, celebrities spent time with Butler while they visited Key West, according to local music historian Ralph De Palma, who has chronicled the lives of island greats such as Butler in his “Soul of Key West” books.
Butler performed for President Harry Truman. In 1964, he jammed with The Beatles, playing “Blueberry Hill.” Tennessee Williams and Tallulah Bankhead saw him play at the old Bamboo Room.
Butler had retired in 2005 but began performing again after meeting with De Palma in 2014.
A year later, Butler performed at the release party for De Palma’s first “Soul of Key West” anthology. Butler went on to play four more shows at the Key West theater.
Butler’s trademark songs include “Who Put the Pepper in the Vaseline,” “Let Them Talk,” and “The Beautiful Isle of Key West,” written by Ellen Sanchez, who taught Butler, along with generations of Key West children, to play piano.
In a unanimous decision, the Key West City Commission in 2019 named its amphitheater at Truman Waterfront Park after Butler.
“There are no words to describe the deep sadness felt today all over Key West,” De Palma posted on his Facebook page Wednesday morning.
“There is no way to prepare yourself for this loss,” De Palma wrote. “When it happens the sadness is deep and profound. Performing with Coffee Butler was a memory none would ever forget. Enjoying a Coffee Butler performance was a treasure to cherish forever. Knowing Coffee Butler was indeed an honor.
“Rest In Peace my friend.”
Castillo & Thurston’s Key West Mortuary is handling funeral arrangements. Visitation is Feb. 11 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater and the service will be at 11 a.m. Feb 12 at Key West High School’s auditorium, according to the mortuary.
This story was originally published February 2, 2022 at 11:21 AM with the headline "‘You live on in our hearts.’ Coffee Butler, a Key West music icon, dies at 93."
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