Statue of Little Richard to be installed outside his childhood home in Macon

A statue of Macon native and rock ‘n’ roll legend Richard Wayne “Little Richard” Penniman is expected to be installed outside his childhood home.

A replica of his Hollywood Walk of Fame star also is planned outside the yellow house that was relocated to its 416 Craft St. location and transformed into a resource center.

Little Richard died May 9 in Nashville at the age of 87.

The announcement of the tribute and the creation of a fund to pay for it was announced live Wednesday via a Zoom meeting on the Little Richard House Resource Center Facebook page.

The fund also will be used to support organizations that provide music education to low to moderate-income students not only in the Pleasant Hill community but also across Bibb County and Middle Georgia, said Rep. James Beverly, D-Macon.

The fund was established by Friends of the Little Richard House and the Community Foundation of Central Georgia.

A tax-deductible contribution may be given online at https://cfcga.org/fund/friends-of-little-richard-fund or a check may be mailed to the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, 577 Mulberry St., Suite 1600, Macon, GA 31201.

Checks should be made payable to “Community Foundation of Central Georgia” and indicate “Little Richard Fund” on the memo line.

Organizers said they hope that the tribute to his enduring legacy will enhance the Pleasant Hill community and inspire generations to come.

The goal is to have the statue erected by Dec. 5, in time for what would have been his 88th birthday.

Also, a proclamation from Mayor Robert Reichert was read proclaiming Dec. 5 of each and every year as “Little Richard Penniman Day” in Macon-Bibb County. The proclamation also listed a litany of achievements by the architect of rock ‘n’ roll.

This story was originally published May 20, 2020 at 4:43 PM.