Lionel Richie is reflecting on a surprising habit he picked up early in his career — inviting fans to join him for meals because he couldn’t stand eating alone.
The 76-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer shared the story during an appearance on Today with Jenna & Friends while promoting his new memoir, Truly. The book gives an inside look at Richie’s journey to fame, his battles with anxiety and loneliness, and how he eventually found peace both on and off the stage.
“For the first five years, if we had breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I would go downstairs to the restaurant wherever we were and find a fan and say, ‘Let’s have lunch,'” Richie recalled. “I just couldn’t figure that out.”
The “All Night Long” legend said performing always felt natural, but adjusting to life offstage was a different challenge. “As time went on, I kind of developed this thing where, ‘Okay, how do I just relax?'” he explained.
“The relaxing part was on stage,” he added. “What I didn’t understand was that I picked the one business where I could write alone in the studio — no one else around. But once you have a hit record, you have to start showing up places. And that was the hardest part for me — showing up somewhere.”
Richie revealed that, despite his confident stage presence, he often struggled with stage fright and panic attacks. Still, his determination to keep going always pushed him through.
“My dad used to always have this chant, over and over again — ‘What is the similarity between a hero and a coward? They were both scared to death,'” Richie shared. “It’s just one step forward and one step back, and I kept saying, ‘Step forward.’ I don’t care how scared you are — step forward.”
In Truly, Richie opens up even more about his life’s journey — from his rise to global stardom and timeless hits like “Endless Love” and “Hello” to his struggles with ADHD, the pain of losing his father, two divorces, and a vocal cord injury that almost ended his career.
