His passing followed the May 6 passing of music executive Andre Harrell, who succumbed to heart failure at age 59.

Richard Wayne Penniman, better known as Little Richard, was one of the founders of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s and one of the most memorable performers in music history.

“Tutti Frutti” (1955), one of Little Richard’s  signature songs, became a hit reaching the No. 2 on the  Billboard  chart.

On Thursday, May 7, innovative music executive Andre Harrell died at his home in West Hollywood.

Wright was an inspiration to many contemporary singers including Mary J. Blige, who sampled “Clean Up Woman” for the remix of her hit “Real Love,” and British singer Joss Stone, who performed with Wright on the song “The Art of Love and War.”