Fats Domino and Katrina: How the rock 'n roll legend stared down the hurricane

'He was staying - he had gone through the last one and he could go on through this one'

Fats Domino shaking the hand of George W. Bush after being given a new National Medal of Arts (Getty)

Among the thousands of New Orleans residents stricken by the rising floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina was legendary rock 'n roll pioneer Fats Domino.

Fats had chosen to stay behind, partly out of stubbornness, and also to be with his beloved wife Rosemary, who was suffering from poor health.

When the hurricane hit, Domino's home in the Lower Ninth Ward was flooded and he lost almost all of his possessions - including the National Medal of Arts given to him by Bill Clinton in 1998.

"He said to me, in that wonderful Southern accent of his, that no, he was staying on - that he had gone through the last one and he could go on through this one," writer Charles Amann recalled.

Many feared that Fats was dead - one fan even spray-painted a message on his home: "RIP Fats. You will be missed."

But later that day, CNN reported that he had been rescued by a coast guard helicopter on 1 September 2005.

"I didn't have any information. I was just praying," his daughter Karen Domino White told the broadcaster.

When relief efforts began, Fats made several public appearances to help, despite having lost all of his own belongings. He also put the rumours of his demise firmly to rest, releasing the album Alive and Kickin' in 2006. A portion of the record sales went to New Orleans' Tipitina's Foundation, which helps local musicians.

To raise money for repairs for his own home, friends and fellow musicians recorded a tribute album, Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino, featuring the likes of Robert Plant, Elton John, and Sir Paul McCartney.

In 2006, then-George W. Bush visited New Orleans and presented Fats with a new National Medal of Arts, to replace the one that was lost in the flood.

Fats Domino died peacefully on 24 October 2017, surrounded by his family.