Rock and Roll pioneer Little Richard dies at 87 – Elton John, Lena Waithe pay tribute

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“Elvis may the King of Rock & Roll. But I am the Queen.” – Little Richard (Dec. 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020) . Little Richard, who died today at age 87, was a Black singer, songwriter, musician, and icon, and few people had a greater impact on popular music and culture. Since 1947, when he first appeared onstage, Little Richard’s power as a performer challenged notions of gender, sexuality, spirituality, and art. . In September 1955, Richard (aka Richard Penniman) played for his producer a sexually explicit song he‘d made up on the road; he called it “Tutti Frutti.” Sensing a hit, the producer had a songwriter change some of the lyrics, and Richard recorded a cleaner version in three takes. It was an instant success, followed by the bigger hit, “Long Tall Sally.” . In the ‘60s, as he toured Europe, Richard became a mentor to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. In 1964, a man named Maurice James joined Richard’s band and spent about two years learning from the legend; James later changed his name to Jimi Hendrix. . As with many queer people of his generation—and particularly people of color raised in the Bible Belt—Richard faced harsh disapprobation for most of his life. Kicked out of his house at fifteen because of his penchant for dressing up in his mother’s clothes, he was a drag performer in the early ‘50s, and he racked up a number of lewd conduct arrests for various cruising activities. . In 1984, he told an interviewer that he felt homosexuality was “unnatural,” though he considered himself “omnisexual.” By 1995, however, he felt comfortable enough to tell an interviewer that he always knew he was gay. In a recent interview on a Christian broadcast, Richard again distanced himself from his “past,” claiming he wanted to “be holy like Jesus.” . In any event, Little Richard was a trailblazing queer person whose work influenced, among many others, Chuck Berry, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Prince, Patti Smith, and Lou Reed. #HavePrideInHistory #RestInPower

A post shared by lgbt_history (@lgbt_history) on May 9, 2020 at 8:00am PDT

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Without a doubt – musically, vocally and visually – he was my biggest influence. Seeing him live in my teens was the most exciting event in my life at that point. Goosebumps, electricity and joy came from every pore. His records still sound fresh and the opening few seconds of “Tutti Frutti” are the most explosive in music history. I was lucky enough to work with him for my “Duets” album in 1993. He was shy and funny and I was SO nervous. The track we recorded “The Power” is a favourite in my catalogue. We also played live at the Beverly Hilton and I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven. He influenced so many and is irreplaceable. A true legend, icon and a force of nature. #RIP Little Richard Love, Elton x #LittleRichard

A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn) on May 9, 2020 at 10:08am PDT

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RIP Little Richard, the "Architect of Rock." The innovator who challenged racial and gender barriers from the late '40s on — and who gave us such iconic hits as "Tutti Frutti" (1955) and "Good Golly, Miss Molly" (1958) — died May 9 of undisclosed causes at 87. Openly gay at various points of his life, he died just over two years after claiming he was ex-gay. #littlerichard #gay #lgbt #lgbtq #rockandroll #obituaries #music #tuttifrutti #goodgollymissmolly #rockandrollhalloffame #gr8erdays

A post shared by Gr8erDays (@gr8erdays) on May 9, 2020 at 9:05am PDT

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Long live the king. Thank you for singing at the top of your lungs and for banging those keys like your life depended on it. Thank you for inventing a whole new genre of music. But most of all thank you for being yourself. We are forever in your debt. #RIPLittleRichard

A post shared by Lena Waithe (@lenawaithe) on May 9, 2020 at 9:07am PDT