Photo: U.S. State Department / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Lionel Richie was born on June 20, 1949 in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States and is credited as a singer, singer-songwriter and pianist. Lionel Richie is 77 years old as of 2026. Schooling on record includes Joliet Central High School and Auburn University. Listed accolades include Humanitarian of the Year (2011), Johnny Mercer Award (2016), star on Hollywood Walk of Fame and 3 more.
My Take
Lionel Richie's gift, as I hear it, is making sophistication sound effortless. From the Commodores' funk to the ballads that conquered the 1980s, he wrote songs so smooth that critics sometimes mistook ease for lightness — a mistake the Academy Award, the Grammys, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame eventually corrected. Coming out of Tuskegee, Alabama, he chose tenderness as his instrument in an era that often rewarded aggression, and that choice has aged beautifully. What I admire most is the durability: Hello and Easy still work on a first listen today. Richie proves that warmth, executed at the highest level, is its own kind of genius.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Lionel Richie
- Name (Japanese)
- ライオネル・リッチー
- Reading
- らいおねる・りっちー
- Born
- June 20, 1949 (age 77)
- Origin
- Tuskegee, Alabama, United States
- Occupation
- singer / singer-songwriter / pianist / record producer / film actor
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Ox
2. Background
- High school
- Joliet Central High School
- University
- Auburn University
Awards & achievements
- 2011 Humanitarian of the Year
- 2016 Johnny Mercer Award
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- 1984 Grammy Award for Album of the Year
- 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- 1986 Academy Award for Best Original Song
3. Links
- Official sitehttps://lionelrichie.com
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/lionelrichie/
- Xhttps://x.com/lionelrichie
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel%20Richie
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4%E3%82%AA%E3%83%8D%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BB%E3%83%AA%E3%83%83%E3%83%81%E3%83%BC
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q26695
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Only publicly available facts are listed; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Base data was compiled from Wikidata from June 2026 onward; ages are recalculated daily and deaths are checked against Wikidata on an ongoing basis. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Lionel Richie born?
Lionel Richie was born on June 20, 1949 and is 77 years old.
Where is Lionel Richie from?
Lionel Richie is from Tuskegee, Alabama, United States.
What does Lionel Richie do?
Lionel Richie works as singer, singer-songwriter, pianist, record producer, film actor.
Where did Lionel Richie study?
Lionel Richie attended Auburn University.
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