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Lionel Richie opens up in new memoir Truly: the real story behind the legend
For more than four decades, Lionel Richie has been the voice behind the songs that defined love, hope and connection across generations. From Hello to All Night Long, his lyrics carried a warmth that felt personal, even to people who never met him. Now, the man behind that unmistakable voice is opening the curtain on his life story in his brand-new memoir, Truly.
A life written in melody
Richie’s book, officially released this month, is part memoir and part reflection. It traces his journey from his childhood in Tuskegee, Alabama, to the global stages that made him one of the most recognisable names in music. In his words: “Writing this book allowed me to look back on the incredible moments, challenges, blessings, and people who shaped my life and career and yes, even a few secrets I’ve kept off stage until now.”
Growing up on the campus of Tuskegee University during the Civil Rights era, Richie’s earliest years were filled with the sound of change. Those experiences, surrounded by both struggle and triumph, would later colour his songwriting with compassion and truth.
Finding his rhythm
In Truly, Richie reflects on the late 1960s in Harlem, where jazz, R&B and soul spilled from every club doorway. It was there that he found his rhythm, before joining The Commodores, the Motown group that helped shape funk and soul through hits like Easy, Brick House and Three Times a Lady.
Behind the glamour, Richie writes about long nights on the road, clashing egos, and the lessons of teamwork that would guide his solo career. “I had no idea that stepping out on my own would change my life,” he admits. That leap led to his 1982 debut album, Lionel Richie, and the timeless ballad “Truly,” which gave the book its name.
Global stardom and timeless songs
By the mid-1980s, Richie’s music had become a global soundtrack. Can’t Slow Down won two Grammys, including Album of the Year, while his performance at the 1984 Summer Olympics reached billions of viewers. Yet one of his proudest moments came a year later, co-writing We Are the World with Michael Jackson, a humanitarian anthem that raised millions for famine relief and showed how music could move nations.
His memoir doesn’t just revisit the hits. It explores what those songs meant to him and to the people who sang along. “A song is more than notes and lyrics,” he writes. “It is a bridge between people.”
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The man beyond the spotlight
Richie opens up about the challenges behind the fame: the pressure to perform, the personal losses, and the constant balancing act between career and family. He speaks about shyness, doubt and the vulnerability that often hides behind showmanship.
In one passage, he writes about how every ballad he ever penned began with the same impulse: to make someone, somewhere, feel seen. That philosophy, he says, has never changed.
He also reflects on his more recent chapter as a judge on American Idol, mentoring young artists who remind him of his early days. “It’s been a privilege to watch new talent grow and share their voices,” he says.
An intimate look at a global icon
More than a memoir, Truly reads as a love letter to music, to family, and to the journey that turned a quiet Alabama boy into a world icon. Richie doesn’t shy away from his flaws or fears. Instead, he writes with the same warmth and honesty that made his music timeless.
Fans have already taken to social media to share photos of the book, calling it “a masterclass in humility and legacy.” Others say it’s “the most human Lionel has ever felt.”
It’s a fitting tribute for a man whose songs were never just about romance; they were about life itself.
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Source: IOL
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