Little Richard in Mister Rock And Roll, 1957. Photograph: Michael Ochs archives The pioneering musician, whose songs Tutti Frutti and Long Tall Sally were among the most flamboyant of the rock’n’roll era, has died aged 87. We look back over his life and career
Little Richard dies aged 87
Portrait of Little Richard in a recording studio in 1950. Photograph: Echoes/Redferns Performing onstage, circa 1955. Photograph: Michael Ochs archives/Getty Images Little Richard in 1955. Photograph: Everett/Rex Shutterstock Peeking through a curtain in 1957. Photograph: Michael Ochs archives/ Getty Images Little Richard preaches from the pulpit while holding a bible after he quit rock’n’roll in 1958, only to return to it in 1962. Photograph: Michael Ochs archives Little Richard in 1965 With (from top) Brian Auger, Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino in the NBC television special 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee in 1969. Photograph: NBC via Getty Images Little Richard in 1970. Photograph: Michael Ochs archives/Getty Images Appearing on the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour in 1971. Photograph: CBS via Getty Images Little Richard preaches in Brunswick, Georgia, in 1985. In the early 1980s, the singer turned his back on popular secular music and evangelised throughout the US at Little Richard Experience programmes, mostly in small rural churches. Photograph: Robert Alexander/Getty Images Little Richard in 1986. Photograph: Ullstein Bild via Getty Images Little Richard performing in 1989. Photograph: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc Performing in New York in 1994. Photograph: Catherine McGann/Getty Images On the stage of the Olympia concert hall, Paris in 2005. Photograph: Stephane de Sakutin/AFP/Getty Images Performing at the annual PBS A Capitol Fourth concert at the US Capitol in 2011 Photograph: Kris Connor/Getty Images Culled from: The Guardian