University of Southern Mississippi alumni

James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He was best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett recorded hit songs including "Margaritaville" (ranked 234th on the Recording Industry Association of America's list of "Songs of the Century") and "Come Monday". He has a devoted base of fans known as "Parrotheads".

Trishelle Cannatella (born November 4, 1979) is an American reality television contestant, Playboy model, and actress, known for her appearances on the MTV reality television series The Real World: Las Vegas, and the Real World spinoff show The Challenge. She has also appeared on other reality shows such as The Surreal Life, Kill Reality, Punk'd and Fear Factor. She has also made appearances in TV ads and music videos, posed nude in Playboy magazine, appeared in the horror film The Scorned, and competed successfully in celebrity poker tournaments.

Deanna Tynes Favre (born December 28, 1968) is an American author and founder and CEO of the Deanna Favre Hope Foundation. Favre was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, and later became an advocate in the fight against the disease.

Catherine Ann Cora (born April 3, 1967) is an American professional chef, television personality, business person, and cookbook author. She is best known for her featured role as an "Iron Chef" on Iron Chef America and as co-host of Around the World in 80 Plates.

George Jacob Jung (August 6, 1942- May 5 ,2021), nicknamed Boston George and El Americano, was an American former drug trafficker and smuggler who was a major figure in the cocaine trade in the United States in the 1970s and early 1980s. Jung was a part of the Medellín Cartel, which was responsible for up to 90% of the cocaine smuggled into the United States. He specialized in the smuggling of cocaine from Colombia on a large scale. His life story was portrayed in the biopic Blow (2001), starring Johnny Depp as Jung. Jung was released from prison on June 2, 2014, after serving nearly 20 years for drug smuggling.

Nanette Joan Workman (born 20 November 1945, Brooklyn, New York, United States) is a singer-songwriter, actress and author, who has been based in Quebec, Canada, during much of her career. She holds dual citizenship of both the United States and Canada. She was raised by musician parents in Jackson, Mississippi, where she began her first performances. She mainly performs in French although raised as an English speaker. She has recorded with well-known musicians in the U.S., Canada, UK and France and has been recognized in Mississippi by being elected to that state's Musicians Hall of Fame and having a Francophone house named after her at the state university.

Thomas William Lester (September 23, 1938 – April 20, 2020) was an American actor and evangelist, best known for his role as Eb Dawson, farmhand to Oliver Wendell Douglas (played by Eddie Albert) on the television series Green Acres. He appeared in two feature animal films, Gordy and Benji.

Charles Bishop Scarborough III (born November 4, 1943) is an American television journalist and author. Since 1974, he has been the lead news anchor at WNBC, the New York City flagship station of the NBC Television Network, and has also appeared on NBC News. He currently anchors News 4 New York at 6 p.m. every weeknight.

Samuel Hodges (born March 5, 1947), professionally known as Eddie Hodges, is an American former child actor and recording artist (his 1961 cover of the Isley Brothers’ “I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door” reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100), who left show business as an adult.

Lanny Flaherty (July 27, 1942 – February 18, 2024) was an American actor.