Pianist and vocalist paved way for flamboyant and gender-bending roles
Little Richard, a pioneer of rock and roll, has died from cancer at the age of 87. His son Danny Jones Penniman confirms the news to Rolling Stone, stating his father died on Saturday, May 9th.
The rock pioneer had a string of unstoppable hits that started in 1956 with “Tutti Fruitti,” “Long Tall Sally” and “Rip It Up” into 1957 and 58 with “Lucille” and “Good Golly Miss Molly,” respectively.
He mixed piano pounding pianos with gospel-like vocal hollers throughout his often sexually charged and gibberish lyrics. He’s influenced musicians such as Elton John and has been covered for decades by stars across musical genres. He’s cited to developing the Beatles and saving The Rolling Stones.
His presence in rock and roll will last forever with the flamboyant style he created that was like no other. He wore heavy makeup and glass beaded shirts that paved the way for rock and roll showmanship.
Per usual, tributes have been pouring in on social media since the announcement.
Sadly, Little Richard passed away today. A founding Father of Rock And Roll, his contributions simply can’t be overstated. I had the honor of meeting Richard in his later years and was awed by his presence. He told me, “I am the architect of Rock And Roll.” Amen! ..Rest In Peace. https://t.co/ceQuNU6pkF
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) May 9, 2020
A couple weeks ago I randomly decided to read up on the legendary Little Richard on wiki. I learned then about how he developed The Beatles and saved The Rolling Stones pic.twitter.com/lUEvYG1Mew
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) May 9, 2020
https://twitter.com/KristNovoselic/status/1259144051460157440
I reached out to the legends legend
Little Richard……he accepted.When he arrived in the studio, he made all of us feel like little kids. He played, he sang, he laughed and told us stories.
— Jon Bon Jovi (@jonbonjovi) May 9, 2020
RIP Little Richard, a very sad loss. My thoughts are with his loved ones.
It’s Little Richard’s songs that pioneered rock’n’roll. I got to hear him and his band at the Newport Lounge in Miami and boy were they good. pic.twitter.com/JXgahhJAfk— Jimmy Page (@JimmyPage) May 9, 2020
God bless little Richard one of my all-time musical heroes. Peace and love to all his family. ?✌️?❤️???☮️ pic.twitter.com/H2lzKbX3tm
— #RingoStarr (@ringostarrmusic) May 9, 2020
So sad to hear that Little Richard passed away today. Calling him a musical icon seems like such an understatement. He was a musical innovator who helped create rock & roll. Thank God we still have his music to… https://t.co/jjvX1cUUud
— Travis Tritt (@Travistritt) May 9, 2020
RIP one of the architects of rock and roll Little Richard. #riplittlerichard
— Eddie Trunk (@EddieTrunk) May 9, 2020
Amazing the Legend and gift to all of us, Little Richard graced the stage of Full House. What a fun wonderful week and the outtakes were hilarious. Brief moment for us all but so memorable and he was so kind so full of love. May he Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/hnMuFOAg4Y
— bob saget (@bobsaget) May 9, 2020
https://twitter.com/SpikeLeeJoint/status/1259148330128424960
The king is gone… pic.twitter.com/X5NIfmiGbM
— Rikki Rockett (@RikkiRockett) May 9, 2020
I had so much fun making Somethin’ Else with Little Richard. He is just iconic. I loved him so much. We were like best friends from the instant we met. It’s a very sad day for me, I’m just trying to stop the tears. I wish I could have brought him a lot more flowers. Love, T pic.twitter.com/gVzisSfjFb
— Tanya Tucker (@tanyatucker) May 9, 2020
RIP Little Richard. The man who invented Rock and Roll. Elvis popularized it. Chuck Berry was the storyteller. Richard was the archetype. Maureen and I were so honored being the first marriage he conducted. We were lucky to know him. He lives forever in the Underground Garage. https://t.co/D8NwRKcshi
— Stevie Van Zandt (@StevieVanZandt) May 9, 2020
Little Richard RIP pic.twitter.com/HU3erfK6S3
— The Beatles (@thebeatles) May 9, 2020
RIP Little Richard – the architect of rock ‘n’ roll, an extremely cool guy and a formidable Wheel of Fortune contestant pic.twitter.com/OpDe9KPwXH
— Al Yankovic (@alyankovic) May 9, 2020
The young David Jones soaked up influences like a dry sponge finding the music and attitude of Little Richard inspirational to say the least. He listed The Fabulous Little Richard LP, among his favourite 25 for a Vanity Fair feature in 2003. More here: https://t.co/L3a8PiejYP pic.twitter.com/426OAB86e3
— David Bowie Official (@DavidBowieReal) May 9, 2020
“Thank you all very much, especially the rock’n'rollers, and Little Richard – it was all his fault really.” George Harrison at @thebeatles induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. #RIPLittleRichard pic.twitter.com/VE70pKAZcv
— George Harrison (@GeorgeHarrison) May 10, 2020
