Rock ‘n’ roll legend Fats Domino dies at 89

NEW ORLEANS — In appearance, Fats Domino wasn’t a typical teen idol. He stood 5 feet 5 inches and weighed more than 200 pounds, with a wide, boyish smile and a haircut as flat as an album cover. But Domino sold more than 110 million records, with hits including “Blueberry Hill,” “Ain’t That a Shame” and other standards of rock ’n’ roll.

Domino, the amiable rock ’n’ roll pioneer whose steady, pounding piano and easy baritone helped change popular music even as it honored the grand, good-humored tradition of the Crescent City, died early Tuesday. He was 89.

Mark Bone, chief investigator with the Jefferson Parish, La., coroner’s office, said Domino died of natural causes early Tuesday.

His dynamic performance style and warm vocals drew crowds for five decades. One of his show-stopping stunts was playing the piano while standing, throwing his body against it with the beat of the music and bumping the grand piano across the stage.

Domino’s 1956 version of “Blueberry Hill” was selected for the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry of historic sound recordings worthy of preservation. The preservation board noted Domino insisted on performing the song despite his producer’s doubts, adding that Domino’s “New Orleans roots are evident in the Creole inflected cadences that add richness and depth to the performance.”

He was one of the first 10 honorees named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Rolling Stone Record Guide likened him to Benjamin Franklin, the beloved old man of a revolutionary movement.

Domino became a global star, but stayed true to his hometown, where his fate was initially unknown after Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005. It turned out he and his family were rescued by boat from his home, where he lost three pianos and dozens of gold and platinum records, along with other memorabilia.

“Fats embodies everything good about New Orleans,” his friend David Lind said in a 2008 interview. “He’s warm, fun-loving, spiritual, creative and humble. You don’t get more New Orleans than that.”

The son of a violin player, Antoine Domino Jr. was born Feb. 26, 1928, to a family that grew to include nine children.

Bertrand Guay / AFP / Getty Images file photo Pianist and singer-songwriter Fats Domino performs during a concert at the concert hall in La Villette during the Jazz Festival in Paris in 1992.