1- Lionel Richie was born on 20 June 1949 in Tuskegee, Alabama
2- Michael Jackson was the godfather of his daughter Nicole Richie
3- He has a sweet tooth. He is a big fan of oatmeal cookies and carrot cake
4- He is Good friends with Michael Jackson, Diane Ross, and Quincy Jones
5- He appeared on ‘The Simpsons’. In the 2007 episode He Loves To Fly and He D’ohs, Homer Simpson finds himself flush with cash. Eager to enjoy his fortune, he hires a private jet with entertainment provided by Richie.
6- He was Nelson Mandela’s stylist. Richie was Nelson Mandela’s stylist for the duration of his 1990 visit to the United States.
7- He loved writing ballads
8- He is a breast cancer activist and has raised $3.1m for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation
9- Every morning, he drinks hot water and lemon
10- He toured with The Jackson 5
11- He attended and graduated from Joliet Central High School in Joliet, Illinois.
12- He was inducted into the American Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994
13- He is a fussy seafood eater. Richie completely avoids crab, octopus and mussels.
14- He is an active gardener and his favourite flower is the bougainvillea.
15- He was one of the original members of The Commodores and left the group in 1982.
16- One of his hobbies is collecting fireplaces.
17- He has sold more than 100 million records worldwide
18- His name inspired one of the world’s greatest football stars. Messi’s parents, both massive Richie fans, named the FC Barcelona star after the singer.
19- He was quite the Tennis star. He got a tennis scholarship from the Tuskegee Institute, but dropped out after his second year
20- He is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi, a national honor fraternity for band members and an active life member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
21- In 2016, Richie received the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award
22- He is longtime friends with radio personality Tom Joyner
23- He also co-wrote the 1985 charity single “We Are the World” with Michael Jackson, which sold over 20 million copies
24- Lionel Richie wrote Kenny Rogers’ hit Lady while on the toilet
25- Phil Collins was inspired to call the demo of his 1990 single “Do You Remember?” “Lionel” because it reminded him of Richie’s music.
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