Fats Domino dies at 89

(CNN)Antoine “Fats” Domino, a titan of early rock ‘n’ roll whose piano-based hits — such as “Ain’t That a Shame,” “Blueberry Hill” and “Blue Monday” — influenced artists including Paul McCartney and Randy Newman, died Tuesday, an official said.

Domino passed away due to natural causes, according to Mark Bone, chief investigator with the Jefferson Parish Medical Examiner’s office in Louisiana. He was 89.
With producer and arranger Dave Bartholomew, Domino cut a string of songs in the 1950s and early ’60s that helped establish his hometown of New Orleans as a rock ‘n’ roll hotbed and made him one of the music’s leading figures.
The pair recorded “The Fat Man” in late 1949, a song considered one of the first rock ‘n’ roll records — a group that includes Wynonie Harris’ version of “Good Rockin’ Tonight” (1947) and Jackie Brenston and Ike Turner’s “Rocket 88” (1951) — and followed it up with more than 30 Top 40 hits, including 23 gold singles.