Muddy Waters guitar sculpture disappeared in Rolling Fork tornado. Somebody found it

ROLLING FORK — Legendary blues artist Muddy Waters claimed Rolling Fork as his birthplace, and the Mississippi Delta town embraced him as one of their own.

On Friday, Waters' hometown was decimated by an EF-4 tornado that claimed 21 lives in Mississippi, including 13 in Sharkey County.

Along with the devastation came another loss: memorabilia honoring the Rolling Fork bluesman.

A commemorative guitar sculpture honoring Waters that had been installed outside the county courthouse in Rolling Fork was blown out of its casing during the tornado Friday. The frame lay battered on the ground next to where the guitar once stood.

But the mystery of the missing guitar was solved rather quickly.

Emily Donovan, whose husband Stephen owns Belzoni Cable, was at nearby city hall the day after the storm. She was there with her husband and employee Ritch Southard to salvage what they could of the city’s phones, computers and other equipment.

"Actually, some of the mayor's paperwork, notebooks and things were left on his desk, somehow they were still sitting there," she said.

Emily Donovan also found part of the guitar outside city hall, a few hundred feet away from its location at the courthouse.

"We took all that and that guitar and the American flag and the Rolling Fork flag to a secure location for the city," she said.

Emily Donovan has dedicated a lot of time to studying Mississippi music. She has a weekly radio show that spotlights the state's music, so she knew how important it was for the city to keep the memento, regardless of the state it was in.

"Muddy Waters means a lot to Rolling Fork," she said. "It's a big part of its history. The music of Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon shaped an entire culture across the world."

Waters is known for blues standards like "Baby, Please Don't Go," Hoochie Coochie Man," "Honey Bee" and more.

"Even though it's been damaged, it needs to be preserved," Emily Donovan said. "The damage is adding another part to the town's history book with the terrible tornado that's happened there.

"In terrible times, people are always looking for something positive, a little shining light. I do think that helps lift the spirits."

Waters died in 1983. He was 70.

"Rolling Fork's community is very strong," Donovan said. I know that Rolling Fork is planning to rebuild and be back better than ever. Being able to recover a very important part of its history is going to show it can be recovered as well."

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Muddy Waters guitar sculpture lost, damaged after Rolling Fork tornado