Tragedy Touches Gulf Coast Celebs

Fats Domino Reported Rescued; B.B. King Waits For Word

(CBS/AP)  Rapper Juvenile, who left New Orleans before the hurricane hit, lost his home, but counted himself lucky.

"I am obviously devastated by my personal loss but thank God that I was able to get my family out to safety while many families were not so fortunate," Juvenile said in a statement. "I have lost some friends and to their families I send my deepest condolences."

Soul Asylum frontman Dave Pirner said he was anxiously watching news reports on television, hoping to see if his house in New Orleans had escaped destruction.

"We are, you know, examining our silver lining and being very lucky that we're out of harm's way," said Pirner, who was visiting his hometown of Minneapolis when the hurricane struck. "Our place in Minneapolis might be filling up with New Orleans transplants."

Ellen DeGeneres, a Louisiana native, said her 82-year-old aunt's home in Pass Christian, Miss., had been destroyed.

"She has nothing," DeGeneres told AP Radio. "She grabbed four pictures out of her house. She's lost her entire life."

Britney Spears, who was raised in Kentwood, La., posted a message on her Web site saying her family was safe and that her "thoughts and prayers go out to everyone" on the Gulf Coast.

Morgan Freeman, whose Mississippi Delta home received only rain and high winds, helped organize an online auction to raise funds for the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

"Charity begins at home," the Oscar-winning actor said. "We call on anybody who has even the thought (of giving) to get beyond the thought and help these people."

Also lending a hand for the relief effort are Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre and Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair, who both have homes in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Favre's hometown - Kiln, Mississippi - was destroyed.

The two football stars teamed up Wednesday and arranged to fill a tractor-trailer with relief supplies bound for Mississippi. The Packers pitched in by using the team plane to fly some generators and supplies to Nashville.

McNair is asking his fans to help him raise money for hurricane victims and is offering autographed photos for each minimum donation of $100 to his foundation.