Little Richard has been laid to rest at his alma mater Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama. The rock and roll pioneer passed away earlier this month from bone cancer in Nashville at the age of 87. During a private service Wednesday at a cemetery owned by the Seventh-day Adventist university, the late musician was remembered for his kindness and generosity.
“What I really remember about Richard was not his stage performances, which were certainly formidable, but what I remember most about Brother Richard, not Little Richard, but Brother Richard, was his incredible kindness and his generosity to people,” said university President Leslie Pollard.
“I remember those of us riding around with him in Los Angeles, and he’d have money in the trunk of his car. Why he had money in the trunk of his car, only he knew, but he would take money out and give it to homeless people,” Pollard said.
The service was attended by about 150 people, including the musician’s family and close friends. Born Richard Wayne Penniman in Macon, Georgia, in 1932, Little Richard is fondly remembered for his immense influence in bringing the rock and roll genre to the limelight in the 1950s. Known for his very conspicuous, flamboyant and feminine dressing, the talented singer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
To celebrate his legacy, Nsuri shares with you five of his greatest hits:
1. Tutti Frutti (1955)
https://youtu.be/LVIttmFAzek
2. Rip It Up (1956)
3. ‘Long Tall Sally’ (1956)
4. Lucille (1957)
https://youtu.be/u0Ujb6lJ_mM
5. Good Golly, Miss Molly (1958)
