Editing Little Richard (section)

==Personal life==
===Relationships and family===
Around 1956, Richard became involved with Audrey Robinson, a sixteen-year-old college student, originally from [[Savannah, Georgia]].{{sfn|Chalmers|2012}}{{sfn|White|2003|pp=70–74}} Richard and Robinson quickly got acquainted even though Robinson was not a rock and roll fan. Richard said in his 1984 autobiography that he invited other men to have sexual encounters with her, including [[Buddy Holly]]. Robinson denied those statements.{{sfn|Chalmers|2012}}{{sfn|White|2003|pp=84–85}} Robinson refused his marriage proposal. Robinson later became known under the name Lee Angel as a stripper and socialite.{{sfn|White|2003|pp=99–101}} Richard reconnected with Robinson in the 1960s, though she left him again over his drug abuse.{{sfn|Chalmers|2012}} Robinson was interviewed for Richard's 1985 documentary on ''[[The South Bank Show]]'' and denied Richard's statements. According to Robinson, Richard would use her to buy food in white-only fast food stores that he was not allowed to enter because of his skin color.

Richard met his only wife, Ernestine Harvin, at an evangelical rally in October 1957. They began dating that year and wed on July 12, 1959, in [[Santa Barbara, California]]. According to Harvin, she and Richard initially enjoyed a happy marriage with "normal" sexual relations. When the marriage ended in divorce in April 1964, Harvin said it was due to her husband's celebrity status, which had made life difficult for her. Richard said the marriage fell apart over his neglect and because of his sexuality.{{sfn|White|2003|p=105}} Both Robinson and Harvin denied Richard's statements that he was gay, and Richard believed they did not know because he was "such a pumper in those days".{{sfn|White|2003|p=105}} During the marriage, Richard and Harvin adopted a one-year-old boy, Danny Jones, from a late church associate.{{sfn|Chalmers|2012}} Richard and his son remained close, with Jones often acting as one of his bodyguards.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Christopher|last=Merchant|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/rutherford/2014/08/28/little-richard-murfreesboro-accident/14738937/|title=Little Richard's Cadillac struck in Murfreesboro crash|work=The Tennessean|date=August 28, 2014|access-date=September 5, 2019}}</ref>

===Sexuality===
In 1984, Richard said that he just played with girls as a child and was subjected to homosexual jokes and ridicule because of his manner of walking and talking.{{sfn|White|2003|p=9}} His father [[corporal punishment in the home|brutally punished]] him whenever he caught him wearing his mother's makeup and clothing.<ref name=JetFeb2000>{{Cite magazine|title=Life Story of Rock 'n' Roll Legend Little Richard Told in NBC Movie|magazine=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]] |date=February 2000 |volume=97|number=11|pages=63–65  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jz0DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA63}}</ref> The singer said he had been sexually involved with both sexes as a teenager.{{sfn|White|2003|p=10}} Because of his effeminate mannerisms, his father kicked him out of their family home when he was fifteen.{{sfn|White|2003|p=21}} In 1985, on ''The South Bank Show'', Richard explained, "my daddy put me out of the house. He said he wanted seven boys, and I had spoiled it, because I was gay."{{sfn|Chalmers|2012}}

Richard got involved in [[voyeurism]] in his early twenties. A female friend would drive him around picking up men who would allow him to watch them having sex in the backseat of cars. Richard's activity caught the attention of Macon police in 1955 and he was arrested when caught in the act. Cited on a [[sexual misconduct]] charge, he spent three days in jail and was temporarily banned from performing in Macon.{{sfn|White|2003|p=41}}

In the early 1950s, Richard became acquainted with openly gay musician [[Billy Wright (musician)|Billy Wright]], who helped in establishing Richard's look, advising him to use pancake makeup and wear his hair in a long-haired pompadour style similar to his.{{sfn|White|2003|p=25}} As Richard got used to the makeup, he ordered his band, the Upsetters, to wear makeup too, to gain entry into predominantly white venues. He later stated, "I wore the make-up so that white men wouldn't think I was after the white girls. It made things easier for me, plus it was colorful too."{{sfn|Collier|1984|p=60}} In 2000, Richard told ''[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]]'' magazine, "I figure if being called a sissy would make me famous, let them say what they want to."<ref name=JetFeb2000/> Richard's look, however, still attracted female audiences, who would send him naked photos and their phone numbers.{{sfn| White| 2003|p=70–71}}{{sfn|Gulla|2008|p=36}}<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Ramsey |first1=David |title=Prayers for Richard |date=December 11, 2015 |work=Oxford American |url=https://www.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/item/719-prayers-for-richard |access-date=May 9, 2020 |location=Little Rock AR |quote=Or offer up their own: a Little Richard concert in Baltimore in 1956 is supposedly the first incident of female fans throwing their underwear onstage ("a shower of panties," a bandmate remembered). |archive-date=May 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200509142349/https://www.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/item/719-prayers-for-richard |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|White|1984|p=66}}. "Charles Connor:... After that it happened lots of places we played. The girls would actually take their panties off and throw them at the bandstand. A shower of panties!"</ref>

During Richard's heyday, his obsession with voyeurism and group sex continued, with Robinson's participation. Richard wrote that Robinson would have sex with men while she sexually stimulated Richard.{{sfn| White| 2003|p=70-71}} Despite saying he was "[[born again]]" after leaving rock and roll for the church in 1957, Richard left Oakwood College after [[indecent exposure|exposing himself]] to a male student. The incident was reported to the student's father, and Richard withdrew from the college.{{sfn|White|2003|pp=100–101}} In 1962, Richard was arrested for spying on men urinating in toilets at a [[Trailways]] bus station in [[Long Beach, California]].{{sfn|Moser|2007|p=137}} He participated in orgies and continued his voyeurism.

On May 4, 1982, on ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]'', Richard said, "God gave me the victory. I'm not gay now, but, you know, I was gay all my life. I believe I was one of the first gay people to come out. But God let me know that he made Adam be with Eve, not Steve. So, I gave my heart to Christ."<ref>{{Cite episode |series=Late Night with David Letterman |date=May 4, 1982 |network=NBC |season=1|url=https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=625896146173275|title=Little Richard talks rock & roll, overcoming addiction and more}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=February 2024}} In his 1984 book, while demeaning homosexuality as "unnatural" and "contagious"{{Citation needed|date=May 2024|reason=Book citation needed, quotation not found in article - page number needed}}, he told Charles White he was "[[omnisexual]]".{{sfn|Chalmers|2012}}

In 1995, Richard told ''[[Penthouse (magazine)|Penthouse]]'' that he always knew he was gay, saying "I've been gay all my life".{{sfn|Chalmers|2012}} In 2007, ''Mojo Magazine'' referred to Richard as "[[bisexual]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.breakingnews.ie/showbiz/tutti-frutti-tops-world-changing-hit-list-310948.html#!|title=Tutti Frutti tops world-changing hit list|date=May 16, 2007|website=Breakingnews.ie|access-date=November 2, 2017|archive-date=September 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905234546/http://www.breakingnews.ie/showbiz/tutti-frutti-tops-world-changing-hit-list-310948.html#!|url-status=live}}</ref>

In October 2017, Richard once again denounced homosexuality in an interview with the Christian Three Angels Broadcasting Network, calling homosexual and [[transgender]] identity "unnatural affection" that goes against "the way God wants you to live".<ref>{{Cite magazine|first=Trudy|last=Ring|url=https://www.advocate.com/people/2017/10/06/little-richard-once-gay-now-antigay-again|title=Little Richard, Once Gay, Is Now Antigay — Again|magazine=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]]|location=San Francisco, California|date=October 6, 2017|access-date=April 9, 2019}}</ref>

===Drug use===
During his initial heyday in the 1950s rock and roll scene, Richard was a [[teetotaler]] abstaining from alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. Richard often fined bandmates for drug and alcohol use during this era. By the mid-1960s, however, Richard began drinking heavily and smoking cigarettes and [[marijuana]].{{sfn|White|2003|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=dTr_AgAAQBAJ&pg=PT183]}} By 1972, he had developed an addiction to [[cocaine]]. He later lamented that period, "They should have called me Lil Cocaine, I was sniffing so much of that stuff!"{{sfn|White|2003|pp=187–189}} By 1975, he had developed addictions to both heroin and [[Phencyclidine|PCP]], otherwise known as "angel dust". His drug and alcohol use began to affect his career and personal life. "I lost my reasoning", he later recalled.{{sfn|Collier|1984|p=60: "I used to have standards in my life and I lost all of that"}}

Of his cocaine addiction, he said that he did whatever he could to use cocaine.{{sfn|Collier|1984|p=60: "I was one of the biggest cocaine addicts, smoking it, snorting it and whatever cocaine could do, I did"}} Richard admitted that his addictions to cocaine, PCP and heroin were costing him as much as $1,000 a day.{{sfn|White|2003|p=188}} In 1977, longtime friend [[Larry Williams]] once showed up with a gun and threatened to kill him for failing to pay his drug debt. Richard said that this was the most fearful moment of his life; Williams' own drug addiction made him wildly unpredictable. Richard acknowledged that he and Williams were "very close friends" and when reminiscing of the drug-fueled clash, he recalled thinking "I knew he loved me—I hoped he did!"{{sfn|White|2003|p=186}} Within that same year, Richard had several devastating personal experiences, including his brother Tony's death of a heart attack, the accidental shooting of his nephew whom he loved like a son, and the murder of two close personal friends – one a valet at "the heroin man's house."{{sfn|White|2003|p=188}} These experiences convinced the singer to give up drugs and alcohol, along with rock and roll, and return to the ministry.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Little Richard Forsakes Rock 'n' Roll For Religion|newspaper=Sarasota Herald-Tribune|date=August 17, 1979|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19790817&id=ELsqAAAAIBAJ&pg=4701,765387|access-date=January 4, 2013|page=13|archive-date=July 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200709125320/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19790817&id=ELsqAAAAIBAJ&pg=4701,765387|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Religion===
Richard's family had deep evangelical ([[Baptist]] and [[African Methodist Episcopal Church]] (AME)) Christian roots, including two uncles and a grandfather who were preachers.{{sfn|White|2003|p=16}} He also took part in Macon's [[Pentecostal]] churches, which were his favorites mainly due to their music, charismatic praise, dancing in the [[Holy Spirit (Christianity)|Holy Spirit]] and [[speaking in tongues]].{{sfn|White|2003|pp=16–17}} At age ten, influenced by Pentecostalism, he went around saying he was a [[faith healer]], singing gospel music to people who were feeling sick and touching them. He later recalled that they would often indicate that they felt better after he prayed for them and would sometimes give him money.{{sfn|White|2003|pp=16–17}} Richard had aspirations to become a preacher due to the influence of singing evangelist [[Brother Joe May]].{{sfn|White|2003|p=16}}

After he was [[born again]] in 1957, Richard enrolled at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, a mostly black [[Seventh-day Adventist]] (SDA) college, to study theology. He became a vegetarian, which coincided with his return to religion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ivu.org/people/music/richard.html#:~:text=About%2050%25%20of%20SDAs%20are%20vegetarian.&text=The%20apparently%20ageless%20(and%20vegetarian,music%20%2D%20and%20himself%20%2D%20undiminished.|title=International Vegetarian Union - Little Richard (1932- )|access-date=February 21, 2021|archive-date=August 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805091203/https://ivu.org/people/music/richard.html#:~:text=About%2050%25%20of%20SDAs%20are%20vegetarian.&text=The%20apparently%20ageless%20(and%20vegetarian,music%20%2D%20and%20himself%20%2D%20undiminished.|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jun-29-he-64587-story.html|title=Little Richard|date=June 29, 1998|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=February 21, 2021|archive-date=February 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225005433/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jun-29-he-64587-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He was ordained a minister in 1970 and resumed evangelical activities in 1977. Richard represented Memorial Bibles International and sold their Black Heritage Bible, which highlighted the Book's many black characters. As a preacher, he evangelized in small churches and packed auditoriums of 20,000 or more. His preaching focused on uniting the races and bringing lost souls to repentance through God's love.{{sfn|White|2003|pp=203–214}} In 1984, Richard's mother, Leva Mae, died following a period of illness. Prior to her death, Richard promised her that he would remain a Christian.{{sfn|White|2003|p=221}}

During the 1980s and 1990s, Richard officiated at celebrity weddings. In 2006, in one ceremony, Richard wedded twenty couples who won a contest.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news/little-richard-weds-20-couples_1017057|title=Little Richard Weds 20 Couples|work=Contactmusic.com|date=December 19, 2006|access-date=February 1, 2013|archive-date=November 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102070222/http://www.contactmusic.com/news/little-richard-weds-20-couples_1017057|url-status=live}}</ref> The musician used his experience and knowledge as a minister and elder statesman of rock and roll to preach at funerals of musical friends such as [[Wilson Pickett]] and [[Ike Turner]].{{sfn|Havers|2010|p=127}} At a benefit concert in 2009 to raise funds to help rebuild children's playgrounds that were destroyed by [[Hurricane Katrina]], Richard asked guest of honor Fats Domino to pray with him and others. His assistants handed out inspirational booklets at the concert, a common practice at Richard's shows.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://6abc.com/archive/6840970/|title=Fats Domino Makes Rare Concert Appearance|year=2009|work=abclocal.go.com|access-date=August 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005014403/http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news%2Fentertainment&id=6840970|archive-date=October 5, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Richard told a [[Howard Theatre]], Washington, D.C., audience in June 2012, "I know this is not Church, but get close to the Lord. The world is getting close to the end. Get close to the Lord."<ref name="rollingstone.com"/> In 2013, Richard elaborated on his spiritual philosophies, stating "God talked to me the other night. He said He's getting ready to come. The world's getting ready to end and He's coming, wrapped in flames of fire with a rainbow around his throne." ''Rolling Stone'' reported that his apocalyptic prophesies generated snickers from some audience members as well as cheers of support. Richard responded to the laughter by stating: "When I talk to you about [Jesus], I'm not playing. I'm almost 81 years old. Without God, I wouldn't be here."<ref name=healthscare/>

In 1986, it was reported that Richard converted to Judaism at the encouragement of [[Bob Dylan]]—but "Richard saw Judaism as not contradicting his other beliefs."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1986-12-05-8603140687-story.html|title=LITTLE RICHARD HIGH ON JUDAISM; PRINCE PROMOTES NEW PROTOGE|date=December 5, 1986|last=Goldstein|first=Patrick|work=[[South Florida Sun-Sentinel]]|access-date=March 28, 2022|archive-date=March 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328020707/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1986-12-05-8603140687-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://forward.com/culture/446094/he-really-is-jewish-little-richards-lifelong-love-affair-with-judaism/|title="He really is Jewish" — Little Richard's lifelong love affair with Judaism|date=May 10, 2020|last=Ivry|first=Benjamin|work=[[The Forward]]|access-date=March 28, 2022|archive-date=March 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328020707/https://forward.com/culture/446094/he-really-is-jewish-little-richards-lifelong-love-affair-with-judaism/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.jewishledger.com/2020/05/little-richard-loved-judaism/|title=Little Richard loved Judaism|date=May 19, 2020|last=Friedman|first=Gabe|work=[[Southern New England Jewish Ledger]]|access-date=July 24, 2022|archive-date=July 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724025625/http://www.jewishledger.com/2020/05/little-richard-loved-judaism/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2017, Richard returned to his SDA spiritual roots and appeared in a televised interview on [[3ABN]] and later he shared his personal testimony at 3ABN Fall Camp Meeting 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XldBnWFjB8| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/0XldBnWFjB8| archive-date=October 28, 2021|title=Interview with 'Little Richard'|last=Three Angels Broadcasting Network|date=September 6, 2017|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTXfx4h4iPs|title=Little Richard 2017|last=Three Angels Broadcasting Network|date=October 19, 2017|via=YouTube|access-date=January 13, 2018|archive-date=November 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115095147/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTXfx4h4iPs&gl=US&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8X9l5Sq-Y0| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/f8X9l5Sq-Y0| archive-date=October 28, 2021|title=Little Richard's First TV News Interview in Over Two Decades|last=Collin Dorsey|date=October 7, 2017|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Health problems and death===
In October 1985, having finished ''[[Lifetime Friend]]'', Richard returned from England to film a guest spot on the show ''[[Miami Vice]]''. Following the taping, he crashed his sports car into a telephone pole in [[West Hollywood, California]]. He suffered a broken right leg, broken ribs and head and facial injuries.{{sfn|White|2003|p=219}} His recovery took several months,{{sfn|White|2003|p=219}} preventing him from attending the inaugural [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] ceremony in January 1986 where he was one of several inductees. He instead supplied a recorded message.<ref name="HallofFame1986"/>

In 2007, Richard began having problems walking due to [[sciatica]] in his left leg, requiring him to use crutches.{{sfn|Kirby|2009|p=192}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jambase.com/Articles/14179/Weekend-of-Legends-06.06-06.08-NYC |title=Weekend of Legends |date=June 13, 2008 |publisher=Jambase.com |access-date=May 23, 2014 |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117233854/http://www.jambase.com/Articles/14179/Weekend-of-Legends-06.06-06.08-NYC |url-status=live }}</ref> In November 2009, he entered a hospital to have replacement surgery on his left hip. Despite returning to performing the following year, Richard's problems with his hip continued and he was brought onstage in a [[wheelchair]], able to play only while seated.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Little Richard, Founding Father of Rock Who Broke Musical Barriers, Dead at 87|last=Browne|first=David|date=May 9, 2020|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/little-richard-dead-48505/|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=May 9, 2020|archive-date=May 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200509160712/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/little-richard-dead-48505/|url-status=live}}</ref> On September 30, 2013, he revealed to [[CeeLo Green]] at a [[Recording Academy]] fundraiser that he had suffered a heart attack the week before. Taking [[aspirin]] and having his son turn on the [[air conditioner]] saved his life according to his doctor. Richard stated, "Jesus had something for me. He brought me through."<ref name=healthscare>{{Cite news |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/little-richard-tells-cee-lo-about-recent-heart-attack-20130930 |title=Little Richard Tells Cee Lo About Recent Heart Attack |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=September 30, 2013 |access-date=October 2, 2013 |archive-date=October 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001234756/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/little-richard-tells-cee-lo-about-recent-heart-attack-20130930 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On April 28, 2016, Richard's friend [[Bootsy Collins]] stated on his Facebook page that, "he is not in the best of health so I ask all the Funkateers to lift him up." Reports stated that Richard was in grave health and that his family were gathering at his bedside. On May 3, 2016, ''Rolling Stone'' provided a health update by Richard and his lawyer; Richard stated, "not only is my family not gathering around me because I'm ill, but I'm still singing. I don't perform like I used to, but I have my singing voice, I walk around, I had hip surgery a while ago but I'm healthy.'" His lawyer said, "He's 83. I don't know how many 83-year-olds still get up and rock it out every week, but in light of the rumors, I wanted to tell you that he's vivacious and conversant about a ton of different things and he's still very active in a daily routine."<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Greene |first=Andy |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/little-richard-denies-near-death-rumors-im-still-singing-20160503 |title=Little Richard Denies Near-Death Rumors: 'I'm Still Singing' |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=May 3, 2016 |access-date=January 17, 2017}}</ref> Though Richard continued to sing in his eighties, he kept away from the stage.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/may/04/little-richard-denies-claims-of-poor-health-illness-untrue |title=Little Richard denies claims that he's 'clinging to life' |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=May 4, 2016 |access-date=April 22, 2020 |archive-date=May 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200511042056/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/may/04/little-richard-denies-claims-of-poor-health-illness-untrue |url-status=live }}</ref>

On May 9, 2020, after a two-month illness, Richard died at the age of 87 at a home in [[Tullahoma, Tennessee]],<ref name="NYT-Weiner-20200509"/> from a cause related to [[bone cancer]].<ref>{{Cite news|title='Architect of rock 'n' roll' Little Richard dies at age 87, Rolling Stone says|newspaper=[[National Post]]|url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/celebrity/rock-n-roll-pioneer-little-richard-dies-at-age-87-rolling-stone-2#comments-area|date=May 9, 2020|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref><ref name="NYT-Weiner-20200509" /><ref>{{Cite web|title='Play the keys among the stars now': Celebrities pay tribute to Little Richard &#124; CTV News|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/play-the-keys-among-the-stars-now-celebrities-pay-tribute-to-little-richard-1.4932441|first=Alaa|last=Elassar|date=May 9, 2020|website=Ctvnews.ca|access-date=May 11, 2020|archive-date=May 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200511012847/https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/play-the-keys-among-the-stars-now-celebrities-pay-tribute-to-little-richard-1.4932441|url-status=live}}</ref> His brother, sister, and son were with him.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2020-05-09/little-richard-dead |title=Little Richard, flamboyant rocker who fused gospel fervor and R&B sexuality, dies at 87 |first=Richard |last=Cromelin |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=May 9, 2020 |access-date=May 9, 2020 |archive-date=May 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200509185707/https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2020-05-09/little-richard-dead |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://people.com/music/llittle-richard-dies-at-87/|title=Legendary Rock and Roll Musician Little Richard Died of Bone Cancer at 87|first1=Joelle|last1=Goldstein|first2=Alexia |last2=Fernandez|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=May 9, 2020|access-date=May 9, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Leopold |first=Todd |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/09/entertainment/little-richard-dead-obituary-trnd/index.html |title=Little Richard dies: Flamboyant rock legend was 87 |publisher=CNN |access-date=May 11, 2020 |archive-date=June 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604061540/https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/09/entertainment/little-richard-dead-obituary-trnd/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Richard received tributes from popular musicians, including [[Bob Dylan]],<ref>{{Cite news|title=Bob Dylan pays moving tribute to Little Richard: 'He was my shining star'|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/little-richard-dead-bob-dylan-tribute-influence-album-tutti-frutti-a9507081.html|date=May 10, 2020|website=The Independent|access-date=May 10, 2020|archive-date=May 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510184002/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/little-richard-dead-bob-dylan-tribute-influence-album-tutti-frutti-a9507081.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Paul McCartney]],<ref name="IN-20200510">{{Cite web |title=Paul McCartney: I owe a lot of what I do to Little Richard and his style |url=https://www.irishnews.com/magazine/entertainment/2020/05/10/news/paul-mccartney-i-owe-a-lot-of-what-i-do-to-little-richard-and-his-style-1933357 |website=[[The Irish News]] |date=May 10, 2020 |access-date=May 10, 2020 |archive-date=March 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310145126/https://www.irishnews.com/magazine/entertainment/2020/05/10/news/paul-mccartney-i-owe-a-lot-of-what-i-do-to-little-richard-and-his-style-1933357/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Mick Jagger]],<ref name="RS-Kreps-20200509">{{Cite magazine |last1=Kreps |first1=Daniel |title=Mick Jagger Pays Tribute to 'Biggest Inspiration' Little Richard |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/mick-jagger-little-richard-tribute-996757 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=May 9, 2020}}</ref> [[John Fogerty]],<ref name="RS-Browne-20200509">{{Cite magazine |last1=Browne |first1=David |title=John Fogerty Remembers Little Richard: 'The Greatest Rock Singer of All Time' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/john-fogerty-little-richard-996838 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=May 9, 2020}}</ref> [[Elton John]],<ref name="RS-Kreps-20200509-EJ">{{Cite magazine |last1=Kreps |first1=Daniel |title=Elton John on Little Richard: 'A True Legend, Icon and a Force of Nature' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/elton-john-little-richard-tribute-996803 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=May 9, 2020}}</ref> and [[Lenny Kravitz]].<ref name="RS-Spanos-20200509">{{Cite magazine |last1=Spanos |first1=Brittany |title=Lenny Kravitz on Little Richard: 'His Music Sounds Just as Fresh and Powerful Today' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/lenny-kravitz-little-richard-tribute-996900 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=May 9, 2020}}</ref> He is interred at [[Oakwood University]] Memorial Gardens Cemetery in [[Huntsville, Alabama]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pbs.org/newshour/arts/little-richard-to-be-buried-at-historically-black-college|title=Little Richard to be buries at historically black college|last=Hall|first=Kristin|date=May 15, 2020|website=[[PBS NewsHour]]|access-date=September 25, 2020|archive-date=September 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925144246/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/little-richard-to-be-buried-at-historically-black-college|url-status=live}}</ref>