Lionel Richie Considers Daughter Nicole 'A Godsend' - Remembers Adopting Her With First Wife Brenda Harvey

Feb 20, 2022 by apost team

Lionel 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.

Richie was born on June 20, 1949. After finding success in the Commodores, he eventually branched out into a solo career, with this venture starting in the 1980s. From that point on, he continued to write music for other artists as well as release music of his own. 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. 

Richie is now a judge on the singing competition series "American Idol." He is also a doting father and grandfather. Richie married his college sweetheart Brenda Harvey in October 1975. The pair later divorced in August 1993 after 18 years of marriage.

However, in 1983 – around the same time Richie was becoming increasingly popular – the couple informally adopted a young girl named Nicole Camille Escovedo, who is now known to the world as Nicole Richie. The adoption became legal when Nicole was nine years old. Richie has since talked about how much it meant to him to adopt Nicole, even calling her a godsend. Read on to find out more about the dynamic and relationship between Richie and Nicole.

Her New Family Life

While many people are aware of Richie and his legacy, some may not know that he is the adoptive father of Nicole. Nicole was born on Sept. 21, 1981, and is a television personality, fashion designer, musician and actress. She first found fame during the mid-2000s with the reality TV series "The Simple Life" alongside her best friend and fellow socialite Paris Hilton.

Nicole was subsequently thrust into the spotlight and has remained there since. She has continued appearing on television and is the founder of House of Harlow. She is also married to Good Charlotte frontman Joel Madden. The pair first began dating in 2006 and were married in 2010. They have two children together and live in Los Angeles, California.

Before she became well known, Nicole was just a little girl who loved to play the tambourine. Her aunt is Sheila Cecilia Escovedo, better known by her stage name Sheila E. When she was very young, Nicole would often go backstage where her mom, Karen Moss, worked as Escovedo's personal assistant. During that same time, Nicole's dad – who also happened to be Escovedo's brother – was earning a living as a musician on tour with Richie.

As the story goes, Richie happened to be backstage on a day that Nicole's parents had taken her to work with them. Richie reportedly heard the young girl playing her tambourine. That sweet scene led to a chat with Nicole's parents, who confessed to Richie that they were struggling to stay afloat financially. Richie and his wife Harvey offered to help the Escovedo family by inviting Nicole to come and stay with them before going on to become her adoptive parents.

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Their Father-Daughter Dynamic

In February 2022, Richie opened up about how life-changing it was to adopt Nicole. She was 9 years old at the time of the adoption, 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.'"

Richie admitted that Nicole even helped him after he and Harvey divorced in 1993. "Brenda and I went through a very interesting time," he said. "We didn't agree on a lot of things, but we did agree on (Nicole)."

The musician became a grandfather when Nicole and Madden welcomed their daughter Harlow into the world in 2008. Nicole and Madden also have a son named Sparrow, who was born in 2009. Richie thoroughly enjoys his role as a grandfather, although he still trips up every now and then. Richie laughed while saying, "I'll say something and (Nicole) goes, 'Dad, we don't use those kind of words around the kids.' And I go, 'Excuse me?' She turned into a fantastic young lady."

It's clear that Nicole respects her father and all the work he's done. Speaking with the Sydney Morning Herald in 2013, she said, "My childhood was my childhood. I don't have another one to compare it to. My dad has said before that he doesn't think he was a good dad. But I've never felt like that. He's being too harsh on himself." She added, "Looking back, I think I had a wonderful childhood."

Did you know the story behind Nicole Richie's adoption? What do you think about her life and career as the daughter of Lionel Richie? Let us know, and feel free to send this to your family and friends.