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Early years -

Born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama, Lionel Richie went to college on a tennis scholarship, during which time he briefly considered studying to become a priest in the Episcopal Church. He graduated Tuskegee Institute with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and a minor in accounting. Lucky for us, he took a leap of faith in music!

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College mates -

While at Tuskegee Institute, Richie formed the musical group known as The Commodores after meeting most of the members as freshmen. Richie was a known member of the Kappa Kappa Psi fraternity, a national honor fraternity for band members, according to People.

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The Commodores -

The six-man band, which also featured Thomas McClary, William King, Andre Callahan, Michael Gilbert, and Milan Williams (and later Walter "Clyde" Orange), initially signed with Atlantic Records in 1968, before moving on to Motown Records a year later.

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Their big break -

The group were invited to open for the Jackson 5, which caused a spike in popularity during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were putting out hits like 'Easy,' 'Three Times a Lady,' and 'Brick House.'

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Tying the knot -

During this time, Richie married his college sweetheart Brenda Harvey, whom he started dating just as his career with The Commodores began to kick off.

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Songwriting -

While singing with The Commodores, Richie honed his skill as a songwriter and penned hits not only for his band but also for other artists. For example, he wrote 'Happy People' by The Temptations and 'Lady' by Kenny Rogers.

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'Endless Love' with Diana Ross -

In 1981, Richie struck gold with his collaboration with Diana Ross on the title theme song for the film 'Endless Love.' The single quickly topped charts and became one of Motown's biggest hits, not to mention earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations as well as five Grammy nods.

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Producing -

Truly a wiz in the studio, Richie could write the songs, sing them, and even produce them. He also produced Kenny Rogers' album 'Share Your Love' in 1981.

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Going solo -

After the immense success of 'Endless Love,' and nine albums together, Richie knew it was the right time to go solo in 1982. The Commodores didn't disband, however, and instead replaced him as lead singer with Skyler Jett.

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The right choice -

Richie released his eponymous debut solo album in 1982, and made three hit singles in the process, including 'My Love,' which hit no. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, 'You Are,' which hit no. 4, and, of course, 'Truly,' which topped the chart.

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Can't and won't slow down -

The following year, in 1983, he released his second solo album, 'Can't Slow Down,' whose five singles all hit the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, including two that reached no. 1: 'All Night Long' and 'Hello.' He won two Grammys—including Album of the Year—and the album became his best-selling and one of the best-selling albums of the '80s.

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Dominating the '80s -

Richie became a defining voice of the '80s as he continued to churn out hits. 'Say You, Say Me' and 'Dancing on the Ceiling' were from his third album in 1986.

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Reuniting with Michael Jackson -

Richie reunited with Michael Jackson years later in 1985 to pen the charity single 'We Are the World' in efforts to raise money for famine relief in Africa. The single featured artists including Richie, Jackson, Kenny Rogers, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, and Diana Ross, under the name USA for Africa.

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Stroke of good will -

The song was a worldwide commercial success, taking home three Grammy Awards, one American Music Award, and a People's Choice Award, and ended up raising over US$60 million for humanitarian aid in Africa. It was also the first single to be certified multi-platinum.

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More Academy Award appreciation -

Richie took home the Oscar for Best Original Song for the track 'Say You, Say Me,' which he wrote initially for the film 'White Nights.' His odds for winning that year were pretty big, as he was also nominated alongside Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton for the lyrics to 'Miss Celie's Blues' in the film 'The Color Purple.'

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Adopting Nicole -

Richie adopted his first daughter, Nicole, of later 'The Simple Life' fame, when she was nine years old, with his first wife, Brenda Harvey. "Nicole was actually a godsend. She was a little girl who needed a shot," the singer told People. "She was used to people coming and going. She looked at me and I'd say, 'I'm not going anywhere.'" Richie first saw Nicole at a Prince concert, where she was on stage playing the tambourine.

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Adopting Nicole -

Richie went backstage and met Nicole, realizing that he knew her biological parents—musician Peter Escovedo and assistant Karen Moss, his friends. Richie later learned that Nicole's biological parents were experiencing financial hardship and that their "family situation was falling apart," so to help he and Harvey adopted their daughter.

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Their sweet relationship -

"I think you...changed my life a great deal in terms of softening my heart, because everything up to that point was about songwriting and the business and touring," Richie said to Nicole in a 2020 HuffPost interview. "All of a sudden I found something that I could actually fall in love with that was never going to leave me. How about that?"

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Losing Brenda -

Soon after adopting Nicole, Richie and Harvey divorced. It was reported that Harvey "caught" Richie with Diane Alexander, a dancer and fashion designer, at a hotel, and Harvey physically attacked him and was subsequently arrested and charged.

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Marrying Diane -

Richie and Alexander later married in 1996, and welcomed two children together: Miles and Sofia. They later divorced in 2004.

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He had taken a break -

From around 1986 to 1996, Richie took a break from recording and fully invested in his family life. However, since 1996, he has released seven more studio albums, proving that taking a break won't set you back.

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Sofia's fame -

Sofia Richie is a social media personality and model. Her godfather was Michael Jackson, and she has said her visits to Jackson's Neverland Ranch were some of her favorite memories, growing close to Paris Jackson specifically. Sofia was later in the news for dating Justin Bieber in 2016, then the significantly older Scott Disick of Kardashian fame on-and-off from 2017 to 2020. In April 2023, she married music executive Elliot Grainge, the son of chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group Lucian Grainge.

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Current romance -

For the past decade, Richie has been in a relationship with Lisa Parigi, who is 40 years younger than him.

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An iconic performance -

Richie's Glastonbury Festival performance in June 2015 received such rave reviews, drawing in at least 100,000 audience goers, that it was later released in cinemas worldwide in November 2019.

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'American Idol' -

 In September 2017, Richie was announced as one of the three judges for the revival of 'American Idol,' alongside Katy Perry and Luke Bryan. He has appeared on the show as a judge since the revival aired for its 16th season in 2018.

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Friends in high places -

Richie became friends with King Charles after doing some work with the Prince's Trust, which empowers young people to transform their lives through education, training, and support. Richie was appointed the First Global Ambassador and First Chairman of the Global Ambassador Group for The Prince's Trust in 2019.

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Performing at the coronation -

It makes sense, then, why Richie performed at King Charles' coronation. The King then appeared briefly with Queen Camilla on 'American Idol' as well. Richie and Charles also happen to be just a year apart in age, though they have aged quite differently...

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Suspicions about his looks -

In his seventies now, people have started to wonder what Richie's secret is to his appearance—or, others have wondered, if he has gone under the knife. The singer denied getting work done to the Daily Mail, saying it often goes wrong. He said,"[Plastic surgery] locks you in for that year [while you recover] and after that, you can't go naturally, you're staying right there … You try and go back to reset, and you can't," he told the outlet.

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His actual secrets -

Instead, Richie focuses on "water, sleep, and sweat" and doesn't eat "too much red meat." He added, "I know it's real boring. [Sex] will work also and it's good for your heart."

Sources: (People) (Smooth Radio) (Britannica) (Biography.com) 

See also: Famous musicians who can’t read sheet music

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