Celebration of Life Services for Gospel Legend Richard Smallwood Announced

posted on Jan. 05, 2026 at 9:51 pmJanuary 6, 2026

The celebration of life services for Gospel music legend Richard Smallwood has been announced. The legendary gospel singer died on Tuesday, December 30 at age 77.

The celebration will take place on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at noon at the First Baptist Church of Glenarden International. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. First Baptist Church of Glenarden International is located at 600 Watkins Park Dr., Upper Marlboro, MD 20744, where Pastor John K. Jenkins, Senior, is the lead pastor. Additional information regarding hotel accommodations and donations will be forthcoming.

Sarah HearnJanuary 5, 2026

the authorSarah Hearn

Sarah Hearn is the Editor-in-Chief of PositivelyGospel.com, a gospel music and faith-based media platform she founded in 2011. Under her leadership, the site was recently recognized by Feedspot as one of the Top Gospel and Christian Music Websites. Sarah’s involvement with the Gospel Music Association and the National Association of Black Journalists and continues to influence her approach to ethical reporting and gospel music coverage.