Entertainment > Fats Domino Apparently Rescued by Boat

Fats Domino Apparently Rescued by Boat After Hurricane Hit New Orleans, Daughter Says

Fats Domino performs on the opening day of the 34th annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 24, 2003. The R&B legend was missing Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005, days after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, said his longtime agent, Al Embry.

The 77-year-old R&B legend had been reported missing Thursday by his longtime agent, Al Embry, and his niece, Checquoline Davis.

White said late Thursday that she saw a photograph of her father that had been taken Monday by the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The photo showed Domino, whose real name is Antoine Domino, in jeans and a blue-striped shirt being helped off a boat by rescuers.

"We're very relieved," White said in a telephone interview.

White said she has been unable to speak to Domino and had no information on his wife, Rosemary, or any other family members in the flooded city.

Domino, who has rarely appeared in public in recent years, has a home in the 9th ward, a low-lying area of the flooded city. On Sunday night, Embry said he spoke over the phone to Domino, who told him that he planned to remain in New Orleans despite the order to evacuate.

Getting information on possible missing persons has been nearly impossible as phone lines for hospitals and police haven't been working.

Domino has sold more than 110 million records in his long career, including the legendary singles "Blueberry Hill" and "Ain't That a Shame."

His 1950 recording of "The Fat Man" is sometimes called the first real rock 'n' roll record. He was among the first honorees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

2005-09-03