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Biden: This is a Revolt
All reports indicate that Little Richard — born Richard Wayne Penniman in 1932 — maintained a good relationship with his son, Danny Penniman. Richard adopted Danny in 1984 when Danny was 14 years old after befriending Danny’s mother, Creola Jones. The two knew each other through church, and Little Richard became a constant, supporting presence in the family home. When Jones asked Richard if he could take Danny in, the two shook on it, and that was that. Danny speaks well of Little Richard, telling Rolling Stone he “would just always encourage me.”
This story becomes extra meaningful when thinking of Little Richard’s fortune because Richard had 11 brothers and sisters and a host of other family. While it’s unclear which of these individuals were alive when Little Richard passed away, none of them come up in reports regarding who received Richard’s inheritance. This shouldn’t necessarily be surprising, though, because sources like Welch Law describe Little Richard as “a private person” who in his latter years lived a personal life far different from his stage persona.
Even if Danny received most of Little Richard’s fortune, he could have received much more if Little Richard was as savvy about his business dealings as he was his music. Little Richard traded the property rights for his music to Sony in exchange for cash settlements, meaning that Danny won’t receive royalties for Richard’s music.
