Norman, whose songs "Sweet, Sweet Song of Salvation" and "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music" were early anthems of the late '60s and early '70s Jesus Movement, was 60 years old.

"I feel like a prize in a box of cracker jacks with God's hand reaching down to pick me up,” Norman dictated to his friend Allen Fleming a day before his death. "I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home."

Born in Texas, Norman rose to fame in the late-‘60s with the San Francisco band People! and became a noted figure despite his struggles to gain acceptance among fellow believers and the mainstream music industry.

While his influence on Christian music is unmistakable—he was inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 2001--Norman’s impact did reach further than the limitations of his unfortunate "Jesus Rock" label. Charles Thompson IV, aka Black Francis of The Pixies and later Frank Black the solo artist, idolized him as a youth. Van Morrison and John Mellencamp have claimed to be fans and more than 300 artists, including Sammy Davis Jr., have covered his songs.

Fittingly, his final words to his legion of fans were written in stanza format:

"Goodbye, farewell, we'll meet again
Somewhere beyond the sky.
I pray that you will stay with God
Goodbye, my friends, goodbye."

A 20-track retrospective (Larry Norman: The Anthology) will now be released posthumously on May 27 by The Arena Rock Recording Company.