Little Richard, regarded as the founding father of rock music, has died aged 87.
His son Danny Penniman confirmed the singer's death to Rolling Stone but said the cause of death was unknown.
Born Richard Wayne Penniman in Georgia in 1932, he began his performing career as a teenager in the late 1940s, but his breakthrough came when he signed to Specialty Records in 1955.
He released a run of singles that were among the most flamboyant of the Rock and Roll era, including Tutti Frutti, Long Tall Sally and Rip It Up.
He built his ground-breaking sound with a boiling blend of boogie-woogie, rhythm and blues and gospel.
Little Richard influenced legions of performers whose fame would eventually outstrip his own.
