Richard Sigmund was born on March 19, 1941, in Des Moines, Iowa. 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 has preached the gospel through television programs, radio broadcasts, and speaking engagements. He has been in meetings with Kathryn Kuhlman and Oral Roberts, and he was interviewed by Pat Robertson. Richard has 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 of a place called heaven.

In the early 1990s, Richard met his wife Priscilla, a fellow native of Iowa. After living in Texas and Missouri, they returned to Iowa, where their organization, Cleft of the Rock Ministries, is now based. Richard is associated with World Bible Way Fellowship.