I was friends with Fats for the last twenty and a half years of his life, and I am still amazed that I got to ride the tail end of his comet. Last Wednesday was a rough day, no doubt, but I am reminded of my great grandmother's sage advice upon saying, "It is better to have loved and lost a loved one than never to have loved at all." And everyone loved Fats.

I remember my initial trip into Fats' 9th Ward house, which was after the first weekend of Jazz Fest in 1997. I was outside, and ther...