Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie (born Lionel Brockman Richie Jr.) is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and a judge on American Idol. Richie grew up in Tuskegee, Alabama and attended Tuskegee Institute on a tennis scholarship. He graduated with a degree in economics in 1974.

Richie first rose to fame in the late 1960s as a member of the funk and soul band Commodores, which signed with Motown and produced hits like “Three Times a Lady,” “Easy” and “Brick House.” In 1982, he launched his solo career with an eponymous album, followed by Can’t Slow Down (1983), which won the Grammy for Album of the Year. He continued to dominate the charts throughout the 1980s with chart toppers such as “Hello,” “Say You, Say Me” and “Ballerina Girl.” He also boasts numerous writing credits and co-wrote the charity single “We Are the World” with Michael Jackson in 1985.

The Grammy winner joined American Idol as a judge in 2018. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Some of his notable later works include Just For You (2004), Just Go (2009) and Tuskegee (2012).

Richie married his college sweetheart Brenda Harvey in 1975. They adopted daughter Nicole Richie (born in 1981) before divorcing in 1993. He later married Diane Alexander in 1995. They welcomed children Miles (born in 1994) and Sofia (born in 1998) before their split in 2004. He moved on with Lisa Parigi in 2014.