The Grammy-nominated gospel singer was 77 years old.

Richard Smallwood, the Grammy-nominated gospel singer and songwriter whose songs have been covered by Whitney Houston and Destiny’s Child, has died. He was 77 years old.

Smallwood died Tuesday, Dec. 30, at a nursing home in Sandy Springs, Maryland, due to complications from kidney failure, according to his attorney.

“We are saddened to announce the passing of world-renowned artist, songwriter and musician Richard Smallwood,” a statement shared on his Facebook page said. “The family asks that you respect our privacy during this difficult time while celebrating his legacy and the gift he so unselfishly shared with the world.”

Throughout his 50-year career, Smallwood made a name for himself as a composer, gospel singer, and songwriter. In 1996, Houston covered his song “I Love the Road” with the Georgian Mass Choir for the soundtrack of the film The Preacher’s Wife, and Boyz II Men sang part of the song on their 1997 album Evolution.

Meanwhile, Destiny’s Child covered his song “Total Praise” as part of a gospel medley in 2007.

Smallwood was born in Atlanta on November 30, 1948, and grew up in Washington, D.C., where his stepfather was the pastor of Union Temple Baptist Church. By the age of five he was playing the piano by ear, and by the age of 11 he had formed his own gospel group.

Roberta Flack was one of his high school teachers before her career took off and graduated with honors from Howard University. Smallwood was a member of the school’s first gospel group, the Celestials, and taught music at the University of Maryland before founding the Richard Smallwood Singers in 1977.

The group, which included Dottie Jones, Jackie Ruffin, and Darlene Simmons, was nominated for a Grammy Award and topped Billboard’s Spiritual Albums chart in 1984 with Psalm.

“I’ve been on every major gospel label in existence,” he once said, according to a press release that shared the news of his death. “I was able to compare different labels and the way they do things, whether they have support or not…The labels didn’t give me support, and that’s a frustrating feeling because there are so many ideas and concepts that I would like to see…I’ve been there.”

Smallwood disbanded the Smallwood Singers in the 1990s and formed a large backing chorus called Vision, with whom he released “Total Plays”, which became his biggest hit.

He released his last album, Anthology, in 2015, and also released a memoir in 2019. During his long career, he was nominated for eight Grammy Awards, won three Dove Awards and multiple Stellar Gospel Music Awards.

According to the release, Smallwood was recently diagnosed with “mild dementia and various other health issues,” which has prevented him from recording music. He is survived by brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and godfathers.