Little Richard: Architect of Rock and Roll and Tutti Frutti Singer Dies

Little Richard was an American singer, songwriter and pianist whose wild stage presence and pounding piano helped define rock and roll. Born Richard Wayne Penniman on December 5, 1932, in Macon, Georgia, he was the third of twelve children and called himself the "Architect of Rock and Roll."

In 1955 he recorded "Tutti Frutti" for Specialty Records, which became a crossover hit, followed by "Long Tall Sally," "Good Golly, Miss Molly" and "Lucille." He released his debut album, Here's Little Richard, in 1957 and left secular music that year to study theology. He returned in the 1960s and toured Europe with the Beatles opening for him on some dates; Jimi Hendrix played in his band in the mid-1960s.

Little Richard was inducted into the first class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy. He was ordained a minister in 1970. "Tutti Frutti" was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2009. He was married briefly to Ernestine Harvin and adopted a son. He died of bone cancer at his home in Tullahoma, Tennessee, on May 9, 2020, at age 87.

Achievements: "Tutti Frutti" (1955), "Long Tall Sally" (1956), first class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1986), Lifetime Achievement Grammy.

Birth: December 5, 1932 - Macon, Georgia.

Profession: Singer, songwriter and pianist.

Interesting Facts: Sister Rosetta Tharpe invited him to open for her when he was a teenager. The Beatles and Rolling Stones cited him as a major influence.