Larry Norman, 1947-2008

On Sunday, February 24, at 2.45 am, Larry Norman, an American pioneer of Christian rock music, died of heart failure at his home in Salem, Oregon, reportedly in the arms of his brother Charles and Charles’ wife Kristin.

The heyday for Norman was the 1960s and 70s ‘Jesus People’ era, which saw many young people turn to Christ from a ‘hippy’ background. Perhaps his most famous songs, at least in Britain, were ‘Why should the devil have all the good music?’ and a song about the second coming of Christ, ‘I wish we’d all been ready’.

He made the Billboard top 20, sold out the Royal Albert Hall six times, was invited to play at the White House, and performed in Moscow. He was inducted in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

A message from Larry Norman’s family says that on the Saturday before, when he knew he was going home to God, he dictated a letter which said: ‘I feel like a prize in a box of crackerjacks with God’s hand reaching down to pick me up… I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home.’

© Evangelicals Now - April 2008
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