Fats Domino, the amiable rock 鈥榥鈥� roll pioneer whose steady, pounding piano and easy baritone helped change popular music while honouring the traditions of the Crescent City, has died. He was 89.

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

In appearance, he was no matinee idol. He stood 5-feet-5 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 鈥淏lueberry Hill,鈥� 鈥滱in鈥檛 That a Shame鈥� 鈥� originally titled 鈥淎in鈥檛 It A Shame鈥濃�� and other standards of rock 鈥榥鈥� roll.

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.

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鈥檚 1956 version of 鈥淏lueberry Hill鈥� was selected for the Library of Congress鈥� National Recording Registry of historic sound recordings worthy of preservation. The preservation board noted that Domino insisted on performing the song despite his producer鈥檚 doubts, adding that Domino鈥檚 鈥淣ew Orleans roots are evident in the Creole inflected cadences that add richness and depth to the performance.鈥�

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 that 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.

Many wondered if he would ever return to the stage. Scheduled to perform at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2006, he simply tipped his hat to thousands of cheering fans.

But in May 2007, he was back, performing at Tipitina鈥檚 music club in New Orleans. Fans cheered 鈥� and some cried 鈥� as Domino played 鈥淚鈥檓 Walkin鈥�,鈥� 鈥滱in鈥檛 It a Shame,鈥� 鈥漇hake, Rattle and Roll,鈥� 鈥滲lueberry Hill鈥� and a host of other hits.

That performance was a highlight during several rough years. After losing their home and almost all their belongings to the floods, his wife of more than 50 years, Rosemary, died in April 2008.

Domino moved to the New Orleans suburb of Harvey after the storm but would often visit his publishing house, an extension of his old home in the Lower 9th Ward, inspiring many with his determination to stay in the city he loved.

鈥淔ats embodies everything good about New Orleans,鈥� his friend David Lind said in a 2008 interview. 鈥淗e鈥檚 warm, fun-loving, spiritual, creative and humble. You don鈥檛 get more New Orleans than that.鈥�

The son of a violin player, Antoine Domino Jr. was born on Feb. 26, 1928, to a family that grew to include nine children. As a youth, he taught himself popular piano styles 鈥� ragtime, blues and boogie-woogie 鈥� after his cousin left an old upright in the house. Fats Waller and Albert Ammons were early influences.

He quit school at age 14, and worked days in a factory while playing and singing in local juke joints at night. In 1949, Domino was playing at the Hideaway Club for $3 a week when he was signed by Imperial record company.

He recorded his first song, 鈥淭he Fat Man,鈥� in the back of a tiny French Quarter recording studio.

鈥淭hey call me the Fat Man, because I weigh 200 pounds,鈥� he sang. 鈥淎ll the girls, they love me, 鈥榗ause I know my way around.鈥�

In 1955, he broke into the white pop charts with 鈥淎in鈥檛 it a Shame,鈥� covered blandly by Pat Boone as 鈥淎in鈥檛 That a Shame鈥� and rocked out decades later under that title by Cheap Trick and others. Domino enjoyed a parade of successes through the early 1960s, including 鈥淏e My Guest鈥� and 鈥淚鈥檓 Ready.鈥� Another hit, 鈥淚鈥檓 Walkin,鈥欌�� became the debut single for Ricky Nelson.

Domino appeared in the rock 鈥榥鈥� roll film 鈥淭he Girl Can鈥檛 Help It鈥� and was among the first black performers to be featured in popular music shows, starring with Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers. He also helped bridge rock 鈥榥鈥� roll and other styles 鈥� even country/western, recording Hank Williams鈥� 鈥淛ambalaya鈥� and Bobby Charles鈥� 鈥淲alkin鈥� to New Orleans.鈥�

Like many of his peers, Domino鈥檚 popularity tapered off in the 1960s as British and psychedelic rock held sway.

Domino told Ebony magazine that he stopped recording because companies wanted him to update his style.

鈥淚 refused to change,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 had to stick to my own style that I鈥檝e always used or it just wouldn鈥檛 be me.鈥�

Antoine and Rosemary Domino raised eight children in the same ramshackle neighbourhood where he grew up, but they did it in style 鈥� in a white mansion, trimmed in pink, yellow and lavender. The front double doors opened into an atrium with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and ivory dominos set in a white marble floor.

In 1988, all of New Orleans seemed to be talking about him after he reportedly paid in cash for two Cadillacs and a $130,000 Rolls-Royce. When the salesman asked if he wanted to call his bank about financing, Domino smiled and said, 鈥淚 am the bank.鈥�

In 1998, he became the first purely rock 鈥榥鈥� roll musician to be awarded the National Medal for the Arts. But he cited his age and didn鈥檛 make the trip to the White House to get the medal from President Clinton.

That was typical. Aside from rare appearances in New Orleans, he dodged the spotlight in his later years, refusing to appear in public or even to give interviews.

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Associated Press writer Hillel Italie in New York City contributed to this story.

Janet McConnaughey And Kevin McGill, The Associated Press