Music icon and found father of Rock
Little Richard has passed away at 87.
RollingStone.com reports that the musician’s son Danny confirmed the news and said the cause is unknown.
Born as Richard Wayne Penniman on December 5th, 1932, in Macon, Georgia he started his career in 1947 as a teenager that would last over seven decades. Starting out in the church and later to clubs, he signed his first record deal with RCA in 1951 and became “Little Richard.”
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His famous hit “Tutti Frutti” became his big break in 1955 which reached number 17 on the pop charts. As one of the biggest black artists during a time of segregation, he’s mentioned that his music brought races together. Songs like “Long Tall Sally”, “Rip It Up”, “Lucille”, and “Good Golly Miss Molly” would follow making him a household name for years to come.
His original words of a “wop bob alu bob a wop bam boom”, gender-bending styles, unique piano sounds, and electric personality set him apart to be one of the first black crossover artists.
Richard has left a long legacy of being apart of the inaugural group of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, a recipient of
Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
See photos of the legend throughout the years below.
