LARRY NORMAN - Dubbed by
many "The Father of Christian Rock", has been recording
since 1966, and was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame
in 2001.
He has sung in small clubs like New York's Bitter End and L.A.'s
Troubadour and also given concerts at The San Francisco Pop Festival
and outdoor festivals with crowds of up to 180,000. He has performed
for The White House, twice - and in Moscow at the 80,000 seat
Olympic Stadium. He has headlined at venues like The Hollywood
Bowl, The Sydney Opera House, The Palladium and London's prestigious
Royal Albert Hall, which he has sold out six times; once filling
it twice on the same day.
His music has influenced many of today's Christian and mainstream
artists, and his song "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" became
the anthem of the Jesus Movement. Pete Townsend of The Who has
credited Larry's own rock-opera "The Epic" for inspiring
the classic "Tommy" album and film.
In 1974 Larry started The Vineyard Church which met in his living
room in Los Angeles. It grew to become several hundred churches
around the world.
HEALTH PROBLEMS - In 1992
Larry suffered a severe heart attack, brought on by years of physically
exhausting tours and stress. He tried to continue performing but
in 2001 his health became so bad that he was given just a few
days to live.
A quadruple heart bypass operation followed but Larry's did not
recover well. There followed a long period of convalescence under
nursing supervision.
RIP - Sadly, Larry passed away on 24th February 2008. Our
thoughts are with his family and friends. He was a fighter, but
eventually God called him home.
MESSAGE
FROM SOLID ROCK RECORDS FEB 2008
Our
friend and my wonderful brother Larry passed away at 2:45 Sunday
morning. Kristin and I were with him, holding his hands and sitting
in bed with him when his heart finally slowed to a stop. We spent
this past week laughing, singing, and praying with him, and all
the while he had us taking notes on new song ideas and instructions
on how to continue his ministry and art.
Several
of you friends here got to come and visit with him in the last
couple of weeks and were a great source of help and friendship
to Larry. Ray Sievers, Derek Robertson, Mike Makinster, Matt Simmons,
and a few more. Thank you guys. Larry appreciated your visits
very much. And he greatly appreciated the thoughts, wishes, support
and prayers that came from all of the Solid Rock Army members
on a daily basis.
Thank
you for being part of his small circle of friends over the years.
Yesterday afternoon he knew he was going to go home to God very
soon and he dictated the following message to you while his friend
Allen Fleming typed these words into Larry's computer:
I
feel like a prize in a box of cracker jacks with God's hand reaching
down to pick me up. I have been under medical care for months.
My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready
to fly home.
My
brother Charles is right, I wont be here much longer. I cant do
anything about it. My heart is too weak. I want to say goodbye
to everyone. In the past you have generously supported me with
prayer and finance and we will probably still need financial help
My
plan is to be buried in a simple pine box with some flowers inside.But
still it will be costly because of funeral arrangement, transportation
to the gravesite, entombment, coordination, legal papers etc.
However
money is not really what I need, I want to say I love you.
I'd
like to push back the darkness with my bravest effort. There will
be a funeral posted on the website, in case some of you want to
attend. We are not sure of the date when I will die. Goodbye,
farewell, we will meet again.
Goodbye,
farewell, we'll meet again
Somewhere beyond the sky.
I pray that you will stay with God
Goodbye, my friends, goodbye.
Larry
Thank
you to all of you who were so nice to my brother over the years.
Kristin and I will post funeral information in the next day or
two. Right now we're not able to function very well, but the whole
family is
here... our mother Margaret, our sisters Nancy and Kristy, Mike
Norman and his new wife Tiffany, and Silver.
We
miss him beyond words. Thank you for everything.
Peace
to you all in Christ,
Charles
Norman
