Over the years, Cornelius Washington developed a unique style of collecting garbage. His technique was celebrated by onlookers and mimicked by his peers. But then Hurricane Katrina came and changed the way garbage was collected in and around New Orleans. Cornelius, an amazingly healthy-appearing man, had a heart attack in his sleep and passed away on May 31, 2008. He was 48 years old. Search nola.com to see an article written about Cornelius in 2007 by Katy Reckdahl.