Eddie was all smiles the day I took his picture. The wall I found for him was just around the corner from his uptown house, and had a great Katrina significance (Although the New Orleans Walls book is not about Katrina — hence the absence of direct Katrina stories— the storm has had such an impact on the people — thus becoming a part of the local culture — that I felt it had to be somehow referred to in the book). For that reason, it was important to get a rather serious photo, but again, Eddie was all smiles, which made my goal a little tricky to reach. Eventually, I got what I wanted.
This was the last picture of Eddie. Ten days later, he had a massive heart attack. During a later trip, his sister shared with me that Eddie had been looking forward to the photo shoot, and that he purposely chose the cap with the Fleur de Lys. Although I didn't want anything distracting from the wall on the models' clothing, I made an exception for Eddie and didn't photoshop the emblem out.
I will always remember the last time I saw Eddie, when he entered his house and closed the iron door. He had a big smile on his face...
Fats Domino's daughter called me that night to inquire about the New Orleans Walls project. She listened to me carefully, then finally said, "I will call you tomorrow morning after his doctor's appointment. We'll see if he's up to it."
I DID hold my breath...
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