Lionel Batiste | Of Treme Brass Band, 81

Lionel Batiste, 81, the vocalist, bass drummer, and assistant leader of the Treme Brass Band, has died.

Fans of the HBO series Treme may not have known Mr. Batiste by name, but they often saw him close up. He was the skinny guy with the big drum in the band, one of the acts regularly featured on the show.

Mr. Batiste, known as "Uncle Lionel," had been ill for about a month, said band leader Benny Jones Sr.

Mr. Batiste used his drum to stay afloat in the floods after Hurricane Katrina, clarinetist Michael White said.

"The water kept rising," White said. "He couldn't swim. The water was too high for him to walk out. He saved himself by floating out on top of his bass drum." - AP