Lionel Richie

American singer, songwriter and actor
Person human Q26695
Lionel Richie
U.S. State Department · Public Domain · Wikimedia
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Lionel Richie was born on June 20, 1949, in Tuskegee [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. A citizen of the United States [5], he has built a career as a singer, singer-songwriter, pianist, record producer, film actor, and saxophonist [5]. Richie attended Auburn University, Tuskegee University, and Joliet Central High School .

His musical work spans genres including pop music, soul, funk, rhythm and blues, pop rock, and new wave [8]. Richie’s accolades include the Humanitarian of the Year, Johnny Mercer Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and an Academy Award for Best Original Song [9][10].

Lionel Richie

Summary

Lionel Richie is a human[1]. He was born in Tuskegee[2]. He was born on June 20, 1949[3]. He worked as a singer[4], singer-songwriter[5], pianist[6], record producer[7], and film actor[8]. He ranks in the top 0.15% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (25,353 views/month, #1,466 of 1,000,298).[9]

Key Facts

  • Born in Tuskegee[2], Lionel Richie…
  • Lionel Richie was born on June 20, 1949[3].
  • A child of Lionel Richie was Nicole Richie[10].
  • A child of Lionel Richie was Sofia Richie[11].
  • A child of Lionel Richie was Miles Richie[12].
  • Lionel Richie held citizenship in United States[13].
  • English was Lionel Richie's native language[14].
  • Lionel Richie worked as a singer[4].
  • Lionel Richie worked as a singer-songwriter[5].
  • Lionel Richie's professions included pianist[6].
  • Lionel Richie worked as a record producer[7].
  • Lionel Richie worked as a film actor[8].
  • Lionel Richie worked as a saxophonist[15].
  • Lionel Richie's education included a stint at Auburn University[16].
  • Lionel Richie's education included a stint at Tuskegee University[17].
  • Lionel Richie was educated at Joliet Central High School[18].
  • Lionel Richie received the Humanitarian of the Year[19].
  • Lionel Richie received the Johnny Mercer Award[20].
  • Lionel Richie received the star on Hollywood Walk of Fame[21].
  • Lionel Richie received the Grammy Award for Album of the Year[22].
  • Lionel Richie received the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame[23].
  • Lionel Richie received the Academy Award for Best Original Song[24].
  • Lionel Richie was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha[25].
  • Lionel Richie was influenced by Otis Redding[26].
  • Lionel Richie was influenced by Marvin Gaye[27].

Product Details

The following facts are restated verbatim from public-domain and CC0 open-data sources — every line is independently verifiable against the named source's catalog.

MusicBrainz — CC0 open music encyclopedia

  • Type: Person[28]

  • Country: US[29]

  • Began / founded: 1949-06-20[30]

  • Genre(s): contemporary r&b, country pop, disco, pop, pop soul, r&b, smooth soul, soft rock, soul[31]

  • Community tags: adult contemporary, all night long, contemporary r&b, country pop, disco, pop, pop soul, r&b, smooth soul, soft rock, soul[32]

  • MusicBrainz ID: 3cb25fb2-5547-4b05-adec-1a5e37830d46[33]

Body

Origins and Family

Lionel Richie's place of birth was Tuskegee[2]. He was born on June 20, 1949[3]. English was his native language[14].

Education

Educated at Auburn University[16], a university[34], in United States[35], founded in 1856[36]; Tuskegee University[17], a university[37], in United States[38], founded in 1880[39]; and Joliet Central High School[18], a high school[40], in United States[41], founded in 1901[42].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include singer[4], singer-songwriter[5], pianist[6], record producer[7], film actor[8], and saxophonist[15].

Recognition

Awards received include Humanitarian of the Year[19], an award[43], in United States[44]; Johnny Mercer Award[20]; star on Hollywood Walk of Fame[21], a commemorative plaque[45], in United States[46]; Grammy Award for Album of the Year[22], a class of award[47], in United States[48], founded in 1959[49]; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame[23], a music museum[50], in United States[51], founded in 1983[52]; and Academy Award for Best Original Song[24], an award for best original song[53], in United States[54].

Personal Life

Children include Nicole Richie[10], an actor[55], b. 1981[56], of United States[57]; Sofia Richie[11], a model[58], b. 1998[59], of United States[60], specialised in fashion[61]; and Miles Richie[12], a singer[62], b. 1994[63], of United States[64].

Why It Matters

Lionel Richie ranks in the top 0.15% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (25,353 views/month, #1,466 of 1,000,298).[9] He has Wikipedia articles in 29 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[65] He is known by 41 alternative names across languages and contexts.[66]

FAQs

Where was Lionel Richie born?

Lionel Richie was born in Tuskegee[2].

What did Lionel Richie do for work?

Lionel Richie worked as singer[4], singer-songwriter[5], pianist[6], record producer[7], and film actor[8].

Where did Lionel Richie go to school?

Lionel Richie was educated at Auburn University[16], Tuskegee University[17], and Joliet Central High School[18].

What awards did Lionel Richie receive?

Honors received include Humanitarian of the Year[19], Johnny Mercer Award[20], star on Hollywood Walk of Fame[21], and Grammy Award for Album of the Year[22].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . wikidata.org.
  2. [13] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [10] . wikidata.org.
  4. [11] . wikidata.org.
  5. [12] . wikidata.org.
  6. [16] . wikidata.org.
  7. [17] . wikidata.org.
  8. [18] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  9. [14] . wikidata.org.
  10. [4] . wikidata.org.
  11. [5] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  12. [6] . wikidata.org.
  13. [7] . wikidata.org.
  14. [8] . wikidata.org.
  15. [15] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  16. [19] . news.harvard.edu. news.harvard.edu. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  17. [20] . wikidata.org.
  18. [21] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  19. [22] . wikidata.org.
  20. [23] . wikidata.org.
  21. [24] . oscars.org. oscars.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  22. [25] . wikidata.org.
  23. [3] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  24. [26] . wikidata.org.
  25. [27] . wikidata.org.

Product details (FDA / USDA / NHTSA public-domain catalog data)

  1. [28] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  2. [29] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  3. [30] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  4. [31] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  5. [32] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  6. [33] . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [55] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [56] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [57] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [58] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [59] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [61] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [63] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [64] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [54] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [9] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [65] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [66] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Lionel Richie. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/lionel-richie
MLA “Lionel Richie.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 19 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/lionel-richie.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_lionel-richie_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Lionel Richie}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/lionel-richie}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-19}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 15d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-19 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Plaque image ['Handprints of Lionel Richie in Olympiapark, Munich.jpg', 'Munich Olympic Walk
    Occupation singer, singer-songwriter, pianist +3
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32082|batch #32082]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (24)"
  2. 19d ago · Sj1mor · 2026-05-16 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Plaque image ['Handprints of Lionel Richie in Olympiapark, Munich.jpg', 'Munich Olympic Walk
    Educated at
    Given name Lionel
    Influenced by
    + 41 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ [[Property:P1801]]: Handprints of Lionel Richie in Olympiapark, Munich.jpg"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.