Richard Sigmund (1941–2010) was born in Des Moines, Iowa. His grandfather was praying as Richard was being born, and the Lord told him, "Through him, I will answer prayer." Whose prayer? The prayer of his great-grandfather, who was a Spirit-filled, Jewish, circuit-riding preacher during the Civil War. The Lord first appeared to Richard when he was four years old. As a child, he started preaching in a country Methodist church in Iowa. His grandfather knew healing evangelist Jack Coe Sr., and Rev. Coe brought Richard to Omaha in 1949 to preach. While the boy who became known as "Little Richard" preached, the anointing came upon him, and he saw angels. When he was about nine years old, he presented the gospel before the meetings of world-renowned evangelist and miracle worker A. A. Allen. Richard was with Allen for about ten years; tutors enabled him to maintain his schoolwork while he was on the road. Also during that time, Richard was with evangelist Lee Girard and presented his testimony during William Branham meetings. In his early twenties, Richard had a fruitful ministry for a time in Phoenix, Arizona, and then held tent meetings with considerable success among the Navajo in northern Arizona and in other revival meetings around the country. In 1974, while he was ministering at a small church in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, he was declared dead for eight hours after a traffic accident, during which he had his experiences of heaven and hell. Over the years, Richard preached the gospel through television programs, radio broadcasts, and speaking engagements. He was in meetings with Kathryn Kuhlman and Oral Roberts, and he was interviewed by Pat Robertson. Richard ministered in England, Scotland, Australia, South Africa, Kenya, and many other countries. In South Africa, he followed David Nunn and Morris Cerullo in a special series of meetings. It was Rex Humbard who encouraged him to tell his story about heaven.
