Key Highlights
- 1 on Singles Chart 22 hours ago Diddy’s Sons Justin and Christian Announce Docuseries Slated for 2026 1 day ago See All Courtesy of Bill Carpenter Richard Smallwood, the Grammy-nominated gospel singer whose music has been covered by Destiny’s Child and Whitney Houston, has died.
- He was 77.
- A rep for Smallwood confirmed to Variety that he died of complications from kidney failure on Tuesday at the Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Maryland.
- Throughout his career, Smallwood established himself as a powerful vocalist, pianist and songwriter in the gospel space, earning eight Grammy nominations and winning several Dove and Stellar Awards.
- As leader for the Richard Smallwood Singers and later Vision, Smallwood scored several hits including “Total Praise,” “Trust Me” and “I’ll Trust You.” Over the years, his songs were covered by artists including Houston, who remade “I Love the Lord” for “The Preacher’s Wife,” as well as Destiny’s Child, who covered “Total Praise” as part of a 2007 acapella track “Gospel Medley.” Smallwood was born in November 1948 in Atlanta, GA, and was raised in Washington, D. C.
