Little Richard, one of the progenitors of rock and roll, has died at 87, his family said Saturday. A cause of death was not released.
The pianist and singer forged new musical grounds with hits like “Tutti Fruity,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” and “Long Tall Sally.”
Born Richard Wayne Penniman on December 5, 1932, Little Richard burst onto the music scene in the late 1950s, scoring a series of hits in two years — “Tutti Fruity,”, “Long Tall Sally” and “Rip It Up” in 1956, “Lucille” in 1957, and “Good Golly Miss Molly” in 1958. He never cracked the top 10 again, but his mark was made.
