HUNTSVILLE, AL. (CelebrityAccess) — Mourners gathered at a memorial service for the late rock n’ roll pioneer Little Richard on Wednesday as he was interred Oakwood University Memorial Gardens near the campus of Oakwood University.
The memorial service was attended by a small number of family, friends and former bandmates, many of whom wore masks during the private outdoor memorial service, according to local Fox affiliate WZDX.
Richard attended Oakwood, a historically black Seventh-day Adventist college in the city of Huntsville as a theology student in 1957 during one of his creative hiatuses from rock n’ roll.
Little Richard, who was born Richard Wayne Penniman, died on 9 May 2020 after a battle with bone cancer, though a cause of death has not been announced. He was 87 at the time of his passing.
During his life, he played a pioneering role in shaping modern popular music, combining his talent for rock, R&B, and gospel music with his outsized and flamboyant personality.
The template Little Richard created was often imitated and he served as an influence for artists ranging from The Beatles to Bruce Springsteen and he helped to shift public perceptions on everything from race to gender.
