Legendary gospel singer dies at 77

Richard Smallwoodeight-time Grammy Award-nominated gospel singer and recording artist, has died. He was 77 years old. Smallwood’s songs have been performed and recorded over the years by artists such as Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Destiny’s Child and Boyz II Men.

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Richard Smallwood’s cause of death revealed

Richard Smallwood died Tuesday, December 30 of complications from kidney failure at a rehabilitation and nursing center in Sandy Spring, Maryland, announced his representative Bill Carpenter. Smallwood had health problems for many years, and music gave him the strength to endure, Carpenter said in an interview.

“Richard was so dedicated to music, and that’s what kept him alive all these years,” he said. “Making music that makes people feel something is what makes them want to keep breathing, keep moving, and keep living.”

In recent years, mild dementia and other health problems have prevented Smallwood from recording music, and members of his Vision Choir have helped care for him.

An evangelical legend disappeared but not forgotten

As mentioned, Whitney Houston took her music to film performing “I Love the Lord” in the 1996 film “The Preacher’s Wife,” according to Smallwood’s Gospel Music Hall of Fame biography.

Richard Smallwood was born on November 30, 1948 in Atlanta and began playing the piano by ear at the age of 5. by Associated Press. By the age of 7, he was taking formal lessons. He formed his own gospel group at the age of 11.

Later, Smallwood became a musical pioneer in many ways at Howard University in Washington, where he graduated with honors with a music degree. He was a member of Howard’s first gospel group, the Celestials. He was also a founding member of the university’s gospel choir, according to an obituary by his representative Carpenter.

After college, Smallwood taught music at the University of Maryland and formed the Richard Smallwood Singers in 1977. He brought a contemporary sound to traditional gospel music.

He then formed Vision, a large choir that powered some of his biggest gospel hits, including “Total Praise.” The song has become a modern-day anthem that has touched people from all walks of life and backgrounds, Carpenter said by phone Wednesday.

“You can walk into any type of church — a black church, a white church, a nondenominational church — and you might hear this song,” he said. “Somehow he found his place throughout the Christian world. If he had never written anything else, it would have placed him in the modern hymn book.”

Stevie Wonder performed “Total Praise” during the funeral of Dexter Scott King, Martin Luther King Jr.’s son, at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on February 10, 2024.

Chaka Khan reacts to Richard’s death

Richard Smallwood “opened up the whole world of gospel music to me,” singer and songwriter Chaka Khan wrote on Facebook after his death.

“His music not only inspired me, it transformed me,” she said. “He is my favorite pianist, and his genius, his spirit and his dedication to music have shaped generations, including my own journey.”

His legacy will live on “through every note and every soul he touched”, Khan said. “I really can’t wait to sing with you in heaven,” she said.

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Associated Press Jeff Martin contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.