Lionel Richie feels as if he has “survived” fame.
The 73-year-old singer and talent show judge – who first became known as co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores in the 1970s but has since released 10 studio albums of his own – was honoured with the Icon Award at the 2022 American Music Awards and explained that the accolade is a nod to how he is “still going.”
He said: “I survived it. This is not just given… There are a lot of people who become famous, there are a lot of people who don’t survive famous. We’re talking about four generations around here now of ‘American Idol’… And still going in my right mind, that’s impossible at this stage in life.”
The ‘All Night Long’ hitmaker – who is the adoptive father of reality star Nicole Richie and also has Miles, 28, and 24-year-old Sofia with ex-wife Diane Alexander – added that being an “icon” means he has got “older and wiser” and noted that some of his biggest tracks will be around forever.
He told ExtraTV: “You got older and wiser… I know a lot of stuff… You want to know about the tour, you want to know about writing, you want to know about survival, talk to me… Been there, done that, like being the parent… That’s who I am right now, that’s what ‘icon’ means. That’s a whole other ball game, that’s your peers. ‘All Night Long’ is forever’ ‘Easy’ is forever, ‘Hello’ is forever. These are my special kids, but all of them work.”
