Devoted Father Lionel Richie Helped Nicole Richie Become A 'Different Person' And Survive Addiction

Mar 17, 2022

Being in the public eye is not always as glamorous as some people may think. Even though many celebrities have gotten used to sharing much of their personal lives with others from being in the spotlight for so long, it doesn't mean that they find the constant surveillance easy to handle. Sadly, some people fall into dark places with their mental health and even drift toward abusing substances such as drugs or alcohol.

This is something that Lionel Richie, unfortunately, had to watch his adopted daughter Nicole go through. Richie is a well-known and respected performer in the music industry. He has been in the business for several decades, first rising to fame during the 1970s as the co-lead singer and songwriter of the Commodores. One of their biggest hits was "Three Times a Lady." 

Since then, Richie has continued to please fans and critics with his work as a singer, songwriter, musician and producer. Some of his best-known songs include "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Hello," both of which are from 1983. The 1985 single "Say You, Say Me" also topped the charts. Nowadays, Richie has continued to stay relevant in Hollywood and is a judge on the singing competition series "American Idol."

However, Richie has had some hardships to overcome over the course of his life and had to help his daughter work through some of her own struggles with addiction. Nicole was getting increasingly thinner and was having a tough time in life. Fortunately, Richie was there to guide her to a better place.

Around the time that Richie's solo career was really starting to take off, he found himself becoming a father. He married his college sweetheart Brenda Harvey in October 1975. Prior to their divorce in 1993, they adopted Nicole, who nowadays is known for her time on the TV series "The Simple Life," as well as being the founder of House of Harlow.

Nicole was born on Sept. 21, 1981, and had a tough childhood. Her parents knew Richie through work and confessed to him that they were struggling to stay afloat financially. Richie and Harvey offered to help and invited Nicole to stay with them before ultimately adopting her when she was nine years old, according to ABC News.

"Nicole was actually a godsend," Richie said. "She was a little girl who needed a shot. She was used to people coming and going. She looked at me and I'd say, 'I'm not going anywhere.'"

Being a stable family member is something that Richie stood by as he knew how hard it was to lose a family member. According to Hello! Magazine, losing his own father in 1990 was devastating, especially since he had watched his father undergo some hardships. "My father was ill and I went through a very – I won't say a depression, a massive depression – because, you know, my dad was my hero," Richie said. "I went through that whole period of my life."

Richie's own struggles with mental health may have been hard to work through but also may have helped him recognize the signs that showed Nicole was having her own struggles later on in life.

Nicole has been in the spotlight for quite some time now and has received some criticism over the years, mostly for being famous for the sake of being in a famous family and for her appearance, leaving most people to assume the worst. 

In 2006, she opened up about how she recognized that she was "too thin," so she went to a doctor and nutritionist to figure out if there was anything more serious going on, according to PEOPLE. Nicole later explained how she suffered from hypoglycemia, meaning she had low blood sugar that could affect her metabolism.

In 2007, Nicole opened up about how a glamorous life in Beverly Hills with her family ultimately led to her feeling "bored" and turning to drugs. "I got so much so fast that nothing really excited me anymore," she explained. "I kind of took matters into my own hands and was creating drama in a very dangerous way."

When she was 18, she had an addiction to cocaine, which she sought treatment for. However, during her early 20s, she had moved to a different drug and had to undergo treatment once again to really change her life for the better. Now, Nicole is celebrating being clean from her past substance abuse, although it was something that she and her father, Richie, took seriously at the time.

In 2012, Richie spoke with George Stroumboulopoulos about Nicole's past addiction and how he and her mother worked together to check Nicole into rehab. He praised his daughter for overcoming her self-destructive behaviors, saying she "survived" and is a "different person now." Nicole is now in her 40s, still clean and open about her past substance abuse to her own children. 

Did you know about how Lionel Richie supported his daughter during such a hard time? Let us know, and feel free to send this to your loved ones.