Gospel Singer Richard Smallwood Dies at 77 After Prolonged Illness

The Grammy-nominated composer and choral director died after years of health complications, according to his representative and family.

Grammy award-nominated gospel singer Richard Smallwood is handed a portrait of himself during his 75th birthday celebration. Capital Entertainment via AP

Richard Smallwood, a Grammy-nominated gospel composer, pianist, and choral director whose music shaped contemporary gospel for more than four decades, died on Dec. 30 at a rehabilitation and nursing center in Sandy Spring, Maryland. He was 77.

His representative, Bill Carpenter, confirmed that Smallwood died from complications related to kidney failure. In a statement shared on Smallwood’s Instagram account, the family announced his passing and asked for privacy.

“The family asks that you respect our privacy during this difficult time, while helping to celebrate the legacy he leaves behind and the gifts he unselfishly shared with the world,” the statement reads.

Smallwood had faced ongoing health challenges for several years. According to Carpenter, music remained a sustaining force throughout his illness. “Richard was so dedicated to music, and that was the thing that kept him alive all these years,” Carpenter said, adding that creating music with emotional depth gave Smallwood the strength to endure.

Born in Atlanta in November 1948 and raised primarily in Washington, D.C., Smallwood demonstrated musical ability at an early age, learning to play piano by ear as a child before receiving formal training. He later studied music at Howard University, where he graduated cum laude and helped establish some of the institution’s earliest gospel ensembles, including its first gospel choir.

After college, Smallwood taught music at the University of Maryland before forming the Richard Smallwood Singers in 1977. The group’s blend of traditional gospel with classical structure and contemporary arrangements helped broaden the reach of gospel music beyond church settings.

Their debut album, released in the early 1980s, marked the beginning of a long recording career that earned Smallwood eight Grammy nominations and multiple awards from gospel music organizations.

In the 1990s, Smallwood formed a second ensemble, Vision, which performed some of his most enduring compositions. Among them was “Total Praise,” a song that became widely sung across denominations and congregations in the United States and abroad. Carpenter described the piece as a modern hymn whose influence extended far beyond gospel audiences.

Smallwood’s work was recorded or performed by a range of prominent artists, including Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Destiny’s Child, and Boyz II Men. Houston notably performed Smallwood’s “I Love the Lord” in the 1996 film “The Preacher’s Wife,” introducing his music to a broader mainstream audience.

In recent years, Smallwood was unable to record due to mild dementia and other health issues. Members of his Vision choir assisted in caring for him during this period.

Following the news of his death, musicians across genres paid tribute to his influence. Singer Chaka Khan wrote on social media that Smallwood’s music “didn’t just inspire me, it transformed me,” adding that his work shaped generations of artists.

Smallwood’s contributions to gospel music were recognized with numerous honors, including induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.