Overview
- His family announced his death on Dec. 30, and his publicist confirmed he died from complications of kidney failure at Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Maryland.
- The family’s statement on his official accounts asked for privacy as remembrances of his legacy spread.
- Smallwood earned eight Grammy nominations, won multiple Dove and Stellar Awards, and was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2006.
- Signature works such as "Total Praise" and "I Love the Lord" became standards later recorded by Whitney Houston and Destiny’s Child.
- He founded the Richard Smallwood Singers in 1977, saw their 1982 debut spend 87 weeks on Billboard’s Spiritual Albums chart, later formed Vision, faced mild dementia in recent years, released his final album in 2015, and published his autobiography in 2019.