The story of Lionel Richie, who decided to adopt his friends’ daughter when they couldn’t raise her

The world is full of very private family stories; many are only shared with those closest to them, after all, most like to keep a certain amount of privacy. In general, celebrity family stories end up becoming public because fans closely follow everything that happens to them. However, in some cases, celebrities choose to tell their experiences, especially to help those who may be going through a similar situation.

Thinking about it, the awesome.club decided to tell a little about the story of singer Lionel Richie and his daughter, Nicole.

Actor and singer Lionel Richie has had a long and successful career spanning over 50 years. Among his great musical successes, Endless Love and All Night Long stand out. But throughout his life, one of the most important aspects for the famous was fatherhood. Nowadays, the artist has three children: Nicole, Miles and Sofia. Nicole is the first, and she came into the singer’s life under very particular circumstances.

Nicole and Lionel met at a Prince concert. She was only 2 years old and was on stage with the other musicians. Lionel was delighted when he saw the little girl and was even more in awe when, at the end of the show, he met her backstage. A few weeks later, when the singer was visiting some musicians, he saw her again. It was at that moment that he found out that she was going through some difficulties.

At that time, the biological parents of little Nicole, the musician Peter Michael Escovedo and Karen Moss, assistant to the famous drummer of Prince, Sheila E, had separated and could not spend much time with their daughter because of the tours.

In addition, her mother, who until that moment had tried to take care of her daughter, did not have much money to support her. It was in this context that Lionel and his then-wife, Brenda Harvey, offered Nicole’s biological family that she stay with them while her parents sorted out their lives.

Time passed, and what started as something temporary led the Richies to make a definitive decision: legally adopt the little girl, who received the singer’s last name. This is how Lionel’s fatherhood began, who confessed to his own daughter that, with his arrival, his whole world changed, because she softened his heart precisely at a stage in his life when he only thought about his career.

Although Brenda and Lionel were divorced some time after the adoption, Nicole continued to live with the singer, because Lionel’s decision to adopt came with a promise regarding the little one: “I will never leave you”.

In addition to a father, a few years later Nicole also gained two brothers. Lionel married ballerina Diane Alexander and they had Miles and Sofia. The three brothers have always had a very close relationship and always share moments together, usually with their father. For Lionel, fatherhood is “the best job I’ve ever had.”

Lionel has already welcomed two grandchildren from his first daughter, and he never tires of repeating that “Nicole was a heavenly gift . She was a little kid who needed an opportunity. She looked at me and I told her: I’m not going anywhere”.

What do you think is the best way for a family to talk about the adoption process? And at what point in your children’s lives do you think this should happen?