Fats Domino, whose piano helped create rock 'n' roll, dies at 89
New York — Fats Domino, whose rollicking rhythm and blues piano helped give birth to rock ‘n’ roll, has died in his lifelong home of New Orleans, the coroner said Wednesday. He was 89. The famously reclusive musician, who had made few public appearances over the past decade, died on Tuesday morning of natural causes, said Gerry Cvitanovich, Jefferson Parish Coroner. "He was true to his New Orleans roots and he was a real legend," he said. Domino’s daughter earlier announced the death to a local television station, saying that the rock legend died peacefully with his family around. Despite finding fame around the world, Domino never moved out of the working-class Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans where he built a house and would sometimes be spotted sleeping outside in a hammock. In his heyday he was considered a rival to Elvis Presley as the king of rock ‘n’ roll. But with a natural shyness, the self-effacing Domino faded in prominence by the mid-1960s as a crop of swaggering rock sta...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.