Lionel Richie Reveals Personal Struggles, Triumphs in New โMemoir, ‘truly’
LOS ANGELES โฃ- Lionel โฃRichie, theโข iconic singer-songwriterโข behind decades โฃof hits, opens up about the highs andโค lows of his life and career inโข his forthcoming memoir, Truly. โThe book details โคnotโฃ only the โฃcreative processโข behind chart-topping songs โlike “We Areโข the World,” but also the personal turmoil โคthat accompanied his success, including the dissolution of his marriages and the breakup of The โฃcommodores.
Richie acknowledges the โฃdifficulty of revisiting painful chapters, stating heโค knew he’d โbe “wasting time if he didn’t dig into the hard stuff.” He approaches these sensitive subjects with a philosophy he’s developedโข overโค time: “If you run โฃfrom the lion, the lion will chase โฃyou. If you attack the lion, the lion will run away.”
The memoir recounts the unusual success of “we Areโ The World,” co-written with Michael Jackson and โrecorded in 1985โ with a collective of music luminaries. Richieโ reflects on the song’s impact, saying it “changed my life” and prompted โฃhim toโฃ consider, “Well, if โฃI’m in my championship season, what good can I do with it?” The recordโ reportedly sold 800,000 copies within three days and raised US$80 million for famine relief in Africa.
However, theโค period followingโ this triumph brought significant โpersonal challenges. Richie โฃexperienced the loss โขof hisโค father, โคthe public end of his first marriage,โค andโฃ aโค temporary loss of his voice. He describes feeling overwhelmed, stating, “I didn’t know you canโค disintegrateโ with the rocket.” This led โto a “nervous breakdown” and a period of isolation in Jamaica in 1991, were he spentโ five days alone, drinking Cristal as โคtheโค tide rose around him. Hotel staffโฃ repeatedly rescuedโฃ him,retrieving his champagneโ bottles filled with saltwater.
A turning point came during aโฃ visit to his grandmother in Tuskegee, โคwhoโ offered simple, yetโ profound advice: โค”Why โdon’tโ you โget a good night’s sleep? God has your next move.”โ
Richie emphasizes the importance of facing fear, repeatedly stating, โ”Every time you feel โคfear, step forward.” โคHe believes confronting present challenges โคisโค key, noting, “Today โขmay be confusingโฆTomorrow may not be. Why? As โI faced today.”
