With heartfelt sorrow and profound respect, we honor the life and legacy of Richard Smallwood (November 30, 1948 – December 30, 2025), a Grammy-nominated gospel singer, composer, pianist, choir director, and minister of music whose work transformed the sound of modern worship and touched hearts across the world. For over five decades, Richard Smallwood’s music stood as a testament of faith, hope, and praise — bridging traditional gospel, classical influences, and contemporary expression. He grad

Richard Smallwood, the Grammy-nominated gospel singer, songwriter, pianist and composer whose music became a cornerstone of modern gospel, has died at age 77. Smallwood was born on November 30, 1948 in Atlanta and raised in Washington, D.C., where he showed musical talent early, playing piano by ear as a child and forming his first gospel group at 11. A Howard University grad, he founded the Richard Smallwood Singers in 1977 and later the ensemble Vision, creating influential songs like “Total P