When Demi Moore and Bruce Willis got married in 1987, the Hollywood power couple asked someone fabulous to officiate the ceremony: Little Richard!
Moore shared her wedding photo on Saturday as a tribute to the founding father of rock-and-roll, who died at age 87. In the photo, Moore and Willis are surrounded by their wedding party. Little Richard is standing behind the newlyweds, with a big smile and his arms up in the air to celebrate the exciting moment.
"Remembering #LittleRichard today... Bruce and I were so lucky and honored to have him officiate our wedding back in 1987 — thankful for the memories. Rest easy," Moore wrote.
Moore and Willis divorced in 1998, however the couple, who have three daughters, Rumer 31, Scout, 28, and Tallulah, 26, remain on friendly terms. The exes spent a few weeks in quarantine together at their family home in Hailey, Idaho, before Willis returned to his wife, Emma Heming, and their two young daughters.
It turns out Little Richard was a popular wedding officiant.
"So sad Little Richard passed away. He married my husband and I," Cyndi Lauper tweeted. "He was really one of the truely great rock and roll singers and one of the rock and roll pioneers. He will be missed."
Born Richard Wayne Penniman, the man known as Little Richard burst onto the scene in the 1950s with his rocking piano performances, upbeat vocals and a flair for entertaining audiences. His music was credited with influencing everyone from The Beatles to Prince.
"God bless little Richard one of my all-time musical heroes. Peace and love to all his family," Ringo Starr wrote on Twitter.
Mick Jagger called Little Richard "the biggest inspiration of my early teens."
"When we were on tour with him I would watch his moves every night and learn from him how to entertain and involve the audience and he was always so generous with advice to me," Jagger said.
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay recalled his generosity when she was a waitress and long before she became famous.
"I served soul food brunch to Little Richard every Sunday for a year while waitressing at Aunt Kizzy’s Back Porch in LA. I was a college student," she wrote on Twitter. "He tipped me a crisp $100 bill each week on a $75 breakfast with friends. This was 30 years ago. Helped me so much. God rest his soul."
Former first lady Michelle Obama said she is "sending all my love to his family and friends."
"With his exuberance, his creativity, and his refusal to be anything other than himself, Little Richard laid the foundation for generations of artists to follow," she wrote on Twitter. "We are so lucky to have had him."
