INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Pioneering Rock Legend Fats Domino Dead At 89

By Lorenzo Tanos
Published on: 04:36 PST, Oct 25, 2017

The world of music just lost another legendary figure, as rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Fats Domino died on Tuesday at the age of 89.

Domino’s specific cause of death was not available when his passing was announced on Wednesday morning, though Mark Bone of the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office in Louisiana told the Associated Press that the iconic singer and pianist died of natural causes. Local reports added that Fats was surrounded by family and friends at the time of his passing.

Although Elvis Presley earned his status as the “King of Rock and Roll” upon his rise to fame in the 1950s, Fats Domino was not far behind in terms of hit-making ability, as noted on a report from Reuters. Known for his showmanship, catchy piano playing, and warm baritone vocals, Domino was one of the first 10 honorees inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. His cultural impact reflected in numerous hits on the pop and R&B charts, including “Blueberry Hill,” “Ain’t That a Shame,” “I’m Walkin’,” and “Blue Monday.”

Born Antoine Dominique Domino in New Orleans on February 26, 1928, Fats began making his name in the world of music in the 1940s as a member of the band the Solid Senders. According to the New York Daily News, Domino had his first million-selling single in 1953, with the “The Fat Man” achieving the feat four years after its original release. The song is believed to be the first rock and roll single to become a million-seller, with some historians even considering it to be the genre’s first-ever recording.

With rock and roll exploding in popularity in 1955, Fats Domino had his first sizable hit on the pop charts with “Ain’t It a Shame,” which peaked at a respectable number 10. Its success, however, was eclipsed by Pat Boone’s retitled version of the song, “Ain’t That a Shame,” which spent two weeks at No. 1 on the pop charts. A live version of the song by the band Cheap Trick, from their breakthrough album Cheap Trick at Budokan, also reached the top 40 in 1978.

Legendary singer and pianist Fats Domino in a 1967 photo. [Image by Clive Limpkin/Getty Images]

Though the hits dried up for Domino in the 1960s as the British Invasion took hold of the popular music scene, Rolling Stone wrote that Fats Domino’s influence was visible in many younger musicians of the era, such as John Lennon and Paul McCartney of the Beatles. McCartney had even written the Beatles’ 1968 song “Lady Madonna” as a faithful tribute to Domino’s signature style, with Fats recording his own version of the song later in the year.

In his later years, it was widely thought that Fats Domino had died, as his hometown of New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. According to Reuters, concerned fans had even gone as far as spray-painting his house with the words “R.I.P. Fats You will be missed,” though later reports confirmed that the rock and roll legend and his family were rescued and taken to a refugee center. Domino, whose family lost most of their possessions due to the flooding brought about by Katrina, moved to another part of New Orleans after the storm to live with his daughter.

According to the Guardian, Fats Domino was preceded in death by his wife Rosemary, who died in 2008, and is survived by eight children.

[Featured Image by David Atlas/MediaPunch/AP Images]

Share this article: Pioneering Rock Legend Fats Domino Dead At 89
More from Inquisitr