Rock and roll pioneer Little Richard dies

Rolling Stone magazine has announced the death of Little Richard (real name Richard Penniman), 87, a rock and roll pioneer alongside Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry. The musician retired from the stage in 2013, at the age of 80, when he was almost out of breath after finishing a concert. Among his most notable hits are "Tutti Frutti", "Long Tall Sally", "Jenny Jenny" or "Good Golly Miss Molly". The cause of his death has not been made public although he suffered from bone cancer.

Richard was born in Macon (Georgia, USA) on December 5, 1932 and rose to fame with a mix of gospel and R&B that evolved into a more electric sound and incendiary live, totally unrelated to his early performances in the church, in the years 1956 and 1957. After 1958 his songs, and those of the other rock and roll pioneers, disappeared from the charts.

His case, how could it be otherwise, was peculiar. He saw a red light on October 4, 1957 in the Sydney sky during one of his transgressive concerts as a sign from God to leave secular music. It was no use explaining that it was the launch of Sputnik 1, the world's first satellite.

Little Richard created a sound that was later imitated by Elvis Presley and influenced The Beatles or The Rolling Stones in England. Other figures influenced by him were Bowie, Elton John or Prince.