Rock and roll pioneer Little Richard has died at the age of 87

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Rock and roll pioneer Little Richard has died at the age of 87
Little Richard performs during the annual PBS "A Capitol Fourth" concert at the US Capitol on July 3, 2011 in Washington, DC.Paul Morigi/WireImage
  • Little Richard has died at the age of 87, Rolling Stone reported Saturday.
  • Born Richard Wayne Penniman, the musician made his mark with high-energy hits like Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally" in the 1950s.
  • Fellow music legends like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and the Beatles have covered his songs, while others across soul and rock including the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, and Otis Redding cited Little Richard as an influence.
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Little Richard, a musician whose iconic stage performance pioneered rock and roll, has died at the age of 87, Rolling Stone reported.

The musician's son confirmed his death to the outlet but said the cause of death was unknown.

Born Richard Wayne Penniman in Macon, Georgia, Little Richard grew up as the second of 12 children before he was kicked out of his family's home as a teenager and taken in by a white family. He performed blues in the family's club before making his mark with hit songs like "Tutti Frutti," "Long Tall Sally," and "Good Golly Miss Molly" in the mid-1950s.

His work has been covered by fellow music legends like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and the Beatles, Rolling Stone noted. Other prominent musicians across soul and rock including the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, and Otis Redding cited Little Richard as an influence.

In a 1990 profile, Rolling Stone wrote that the musician "blew the lid off the Fifties" as "an explosive and charismatic performer who laid the foundation of rock & roll" by using "an outrageous personality captured the music's rebellious spirit, and his frantically charged piano playing and raspy, shouted vocals defined its sound."

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"I really feel from the bottom of my heart that I am the inventor [of rock & roll]," Little Richard told the outlet.

Little Richard included the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's first class of inductees announced in 1986 before he received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy and performed alongside fellow pioneer Chuck Berry at Bill Clinton's presidential inauguration in 1992.

The Library of Congress added "Tutti Frutti" to the National Recording Registry in 2010.

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