Little Richard laid to rest at Alabama alma mater

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Little Richard was remembered not just as a rock ‘n’ roll pioneer but a man of generosity and faith at a memorial service at his alma mater where he was laid to rest Wednesday.

“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, who knew Little Richard personally.

“We thank you, Lord, that he gave his life to you,” he said.

Born Richard Penniman, Little Richard was one of rock ‘n’ roll’s founding fathers who along with Chuck Berry and Fats Domino helped shatter the color line on the music charts and brought what was once called “race music” into the mainstream.

For his final resting place, Richard chose Oakwood University, a historically black Seventh-day Adventist college in the northern Alabama city of Huntsville.

BlackFacts Details

Singer "Fats" Domino born

Glory (From the Motion Picture Selma) - Oscar Performance

Black Sands, Legends of Kemet Official Trailer

Literature Facts

American Civil War Facts

Cuisine Facts