Photo Source: ABC15
We’re sad to share that rock and roll legend Little Richard has passed away at the age of 87 after losing his battle to bone cancer. A pioneer of rock music in the 1950’s, Richard Pennimen, stage name Little Richard, broke segregation barriers in music and defied gender norms, starting rock music trends that continue to this day. Classics like “Tutti Fruitti,” “Long Tall Sally,” and “Rip it Up” have been celebrated for over seven decades and covered by other artists including The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and The Kinks.
In the 1980’s, Disney selected Little Richard’s “Tutti Fruitti” as one of their DTV interstitials, pairing popular songs with looped animation from classic Disney shorts to create a music video. This one centered on Donald Duck as the lyrics to the song mention a girl named Daisy. “Tutti Fruitti” was also featured in the Hyperion Pictures animated film, The Brave Little Toaster, which was distributed by Disney.
“Tutti Fruitti” was also featured in the Epcot attraction Food Rocks, with Little Richard providing the voice and updated lyrics to the song performed by Richard, a singing animatronic pineapple whose leaves resemble Little Richard’s iconic hair style.
Crossing over into acting, Little Richard starred in the 1986 Touchstone Pictures comedy Down and Out in Beverly Hills as musician Orvis Goodnight alongside Bette Midler, Richard Dreyfus, and Nick Nolte. He also had a role in the star-studded TV movie Mother Goose Rock ’n’ Rhyme as Old King Cole, which premiered on Disney Channel.
In a role he was born to play, Little Richard also played himself in a number of films and TV shows, including The Simpsons, Muppets Tonight, Full House, and the Hollywood Pictures film, Mystery Alaska. In 1987, he recorded a song called “Gawrsh Golly Goofy” for a Disney album called “Mickey’s Rock Around the Mouse” and in 1992, he recorded an album of kids songs on Walt Disney Records called “Shake It All About.”
Richard Penniman is survived by his son Danny. Our hearts go out to his family, friends, and fans during this difficult time.