Antoine "Fats" Domino Jr

 Antoine "Fats" Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017)

One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Between 1955 and 1960, he had eleven Top 10 hits. His humility and shyness may be one reason his contribution to the genre has been overlooked. During his career, Domino had 35 records in the U.S. Billboard Top 40, and five of his pre-1955 records sold more than a million copies, being certified gold. His musical style was based on traditional rhythm and blues, accompanied by saxophones, bass, piano, electric guitar, and drums. His 1949 release "The Fat Man" is widely regarded as the first million-selling rock and roll record. His two most famous songs are "Ain't That A Shame" and "Blueberry Hill". Domino crossed into the pop mainstream with "Ain't That a Shame" (mislabeled as "Ain't It a Shame") which reached the Top Ten. This was the first of his records to appear on the Billboard pop singles chart (on July 16, 1955). Domino had a steady series of hits through early 1962, including "Walking' to New Orleans" (1960), co-written by Bobby Charles, and "My Girl Josephine". Domino appeared in two films released in 1956: Shake, Rattle & Rock! and The Girl Can't Help It. Despite a decline in popularity after the British Invasion of the mid 1960's, Domino continued to record steadily through 1970. Domino appeared in the Monkees' television special 33⅓ Revolutions per Monkee in 1969. He continued to be popular as a performer for several decades. He made a cameo appearance in Clint Eastwood's movie Any Which Way You Can, filmed in 1979 and released in 1980, singing the country song "Whiskey Heaven", which later became a minor hit. In 1986 Domino was one of the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Domino died on October 24, 2017, at his home in Harvey, Louisiana, at the age of 89, from natural causes, according to the coroner's office. He was married from 1947 until his wife's death in 2008, they had 8 children. Domino is interred at Providence Memorial Park in Metairie, Louisiana.