According to a statement released by the New Orleans Police Department, a piano fire claimed the life of celebrated singer Harry Connick, Jr. late Tuesday night. Witnesses on the scene said Connick was in the midst of a particularly jaunty rendition of 'S'wonderful' when the pianowhich had been inspected just two weeks prior to the incidentsuddenly burst into flames. 'The burning lacquer just adhered to his skin like napalm,' friend and witness Jamie Walters said. 'Then the blaze got hotter, and the piano wires began to snap, cutting into his hands, arms, and face like steel razor whips. We tried to pull him away from there, but he kept running back to finish the song.' Connick was 43. 