Lionel Richie's 3 Children: Exploring Nicole, Miles, and Sofia
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- UPDATED AUGUST 24, 2024
by Tasha Mayberry
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He’s once, twice, three times a father! Music icon Lionel Richie adores his three children — Nicole Richie, Miles Brockman Richie, and Sofia Richie. Lionel gleaned much about parenting from his own father, Lionel Richie Sr., and endured “a massive depression” following his father’s death in 1990. “My dad was my hero,” he confessed to ITV in 2018. However, he credits his children with helping him navigate that tough period. “Miles came along and Nicole was already there, and I realized I had a group of who were kind of looking up to me to be the head of the house,” he reflected. While Lionel is known for his free-spirited nature, he acknowledges he can be “a tough dad,” yet understands the importance of balancing this with humor. “You have to approach it with a tad bit of humor,” he told in 2019.
With my kids, I know their job is to completely scare me to death. And they’re doing a great job, by the way… my job is to embarrass them as much as I could, as long as I’m here.” The “Hello” singer steers clear of meddling in his kids’ personal lives — “You can’t step in there. It just doesn’t work,” he says — but he’s eager to offer career advice, especially in the limelight. “I told [Sofia], ‘I wish you lots of failure, young,’ ” he shared in 2020. “We’re in a business where it’s how you recover, and ‘yes, yes, yes’ does not feel terrible, so you have to get smacked in the face.
Nicole Richie, 42
Lionel first became a father when he and his then-wife Brenda Harvey welcomed Nicole Richie (née Escovedo), born on September 21, 1981, into their home as a toddler. Nicole’s biological parents, friends of Lionel’s, could not support her financially, leading to Lionel and Harvey adopting her at the age of nine. “Nicole was actually a godsend,” he told in February 2022. “She was a little girl who needed a shot. She was used to coming and going. She looked at me and I’d say, ‘I’m not going anywhere.’ Lionel famously penned his 1986 hit “Ballerina Girl” for his eldest. “I’m never gonna break your heart/Never will we drift apart/’Cause all I wanna do/Is share my whole life with you,” he sings affectionately. Nicole gained fame on The Simple Life alongside Paris Hilton in 2003 but faced several controversies, including arrests and struggles with addiction, during the show’s five seasons.
Miles Brockman Richie, 30
Lionel’s son, Miles Brockman Richie, was born on May 27, 1994, with his second wife, Diane Alexander. The couple divorced in 2003 when Miles was nine, and he primarily lived with his mother. “I’m a mama’s boy; I grew up with my mom,” he revealed to Entertainment Tonight Canada in 2018. His upbringing was more private compared to his older sister’s. “I’ve always been so shy,” he shared with Essence in 2020. Yet, he later entered the spotlight, pursuing a modeling career after leaving UCLA where he studied accounting.
Sofia Richie, 25
Lionel’s youngest, Sofia Richie, was born on August 24, 1998, in Los Angeles. She debuted on the red carpet with her father and sister at the 25th Annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards in 2008 at just ten years old. Since then, she’s been a regular at many high-profile family events. She also appeared at the premiere of Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never documentary at the Nokia Theater. In 2018, Sofia told the Sydney Morning Herald’s The Goss that she explored music from a young age. “My dad had me in singing lessons from a really young age and I’ve played piano with my dad growing up, so I have that part of me,” she said. “[My dad] is a really respected soul singer and I feel like that is a lot of responsibility.
Who Is Lionel Richie's Girlfriend? All About Lisa Parigi
Lionel Richie’s relationship with Lisa Parigi, who is 40 years his junior, began at a dinner party where they were introduced by mutual friends. They’ve been inseparable since. Before dating Parigi, Richie was married to his high school sweetheart Brenda Harvey-Richie from 1975 to 1993, with whom he adopted daughter Nicole, and to Diane Alexander from 1995 to 2004, mother to Sofia and Miles. In an April 2019 interview, Richie opened up about his relationship with Parigi and the love lessons he’s learned over the years.
