Rock and roll legend Antoine 'Fats' Domino Jr has sadly passed away, aged 89.
The New Orleans singer – whose most famous songs include 'Blueberry Hill' and 'Ain't That a Shame' – sold more than 65 million records, outselling every 1950s rock and roll act except Elvis Presley.
An official from the New Orleans coroner's office confirmed the death, which had earlier been announced by Domino's daughter to a local television station.
The musician was surrounded by family and friends when he died of natural causes in Louisiana on Tuesday.
Domino's first record 'The Fat Man', released in 1949, is widely considered to be the first ever rock and roll record.
He paved the way for the likes of Elvis Presley and The Beatles, with Paul McCartney penning the song 'Lady Madonna' in direct response to Domino's earlier hit 'Blue Monday'.
In a 1994 interview, McCartney recounted his experience of writing the track, saying: "'Lady Madonna was me sitting down at the piano trying to write a bluesy boogie-woogie thing.
"It reminded me of Fats Domino for some reason, so I started singing a Fats Domino impression. It took my other voice to a very odd place."
While Fats Domino's 1956 track 'Blue Monday' charts the feelings of a hard-working male across each day of the week, McCartney's 'Lady Madonna' – which was released as a single in March 1968 – tells the same story but through the eyes of a woman.
Former American Idol judge Harry Connick Jr took to Twitter to pay tribute, writing: "You helped pave the way for New Orleans piano players."
Samuel L Jackson and KT Tunstall were also among those paying tribute.
