Fats Domino rescued by boat

Rock'n'Roll pioneer Fats Domino has been rescued from the floodwaters of his New Orleans hometown, allaying fears he may have perished in the grim aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The 77-year-old musician, who had told friends that he planned to ride out the storm.

Karen Domino White, who lives in New Jersey, identified her father from a newspaper photograph showing a man being helped out of a boat by authorities.

White said she had been unable to speak to her father.

She and had no information on what had become of his wife, Rosemary, or any other family members living in New Orleans.

Domino is beloved for his boogie-woogie piano style and such hits as Ain't That a Shame, Walking to New Orleans and Blueberry Hill.

Domino's manager, Al Embry, said he spoke with Domino by telephone twice on Sunday, trying to persuade him to evacuate, but the musician insisted he was "going to try to ride out" the storm at home with his wife and his youngest daughter.

Embry, who is based in Nashville, Tennessee, said friend and onetime country music star Mickey Gilley, who is a cousin of Jerry Lee Lewis, got on the phone with him at one point on Sunday and "tried to beg Fats Domino to leave".

Domino lives in New Orleans' 9th Ward, which Embry said was one of the areas believed to be under water.

- Reuters