Lionel Richie is a living music legend whose songs are loved by people of various generations. In youth, he was a talented tennis player and later planned to become a priest. But fortunately, Richie finally gave preference to music.
His path to success began in 1968 when he joined Commodores soul band. Having released 9 albums with the group, Lionel decided to develop his solo career. In 1982, Richie presented the eponymous debut album which gained 4-time platinum certification. It was followed by the artist’s most successful album Can’t Slow Down which became diamond. In total, Lionel has recorded 10 studio albums plus 4 live ones.
Among the accolades earned by Lionel Richie are 9 American Music Awards, 4 Grammys, BET Award, Oscar and Golden Globe.
Moreover, Lionel tried his acting skills in movies The Preacher’s Wife and Pariah. He also served as a judge at 2018 and 2019 American Idol.
Apart from his career, Lionel is also a breast cancer campaigner. He started to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation being inspired by his grandmother who was a breast cancer survivor.
Richie has been married twice. In 1975, he espoused his college girlfriend Brenda Harvey. They became adoptive parents of Nicole Richie. However, in 1993, their marriage was dissolved. Lionel’s second wife was Diane Alexander. They tied knots in 1995 and gave birth to two children, son Miles and daughter Sofia. In 2003, they got divorced. Currently, the celebrity is in relationship with Lisa Parigi, a lifestyle blogger and entrepreneur.
A curious fact: Lionel Richie loves gardening and his favorite flower is the bougainvillea. He also has a sweet tooth and his favorites are oatmeal cookies plus carrot cake.
