Lionel Richie has been married twice. Amid his hospitalization, meet his first wife, Brenda Harvey and learn the reason behind their split.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleLionel Richie is going through a tough time. For the unversed, Richie is hospitalized in the intensive care unit in St. Louis after performing in the city over the weekend. TMZ reported that Lionel checked himself into a local hospital after his August 29, 2026, night performance at The Muny in Forest Park to have some tests run. Amid this, the focus has also been on Lionel’s personal life.
Do you know that Lionel has married twice? Yes, you read it right. Lionel was first married to Brenda Harvey from 1975 to 1993. Later, he found love in Diane Alexander and got married in 1995. According to reports, Brenda caught Lionel red-handed with Diane at Alexander’s Beverly Hills apartment. This scandalous extramarital affair took a toll on Brenda and Lionel’s marriage.
Brenda Harvey, who is widely known as Lionel Richie’s first wife, is an accomplished businessperson and music composer. She is the CEO of Brenda Richie Music Publishing Company. She was born on September 2, 1952, in Brewton, Alabama, United States. She completed her secondary education at Southern Normal School in 1970.
Brenda graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Clinical/Medical Social Work in 1974 from Tuskegee University. Her father, Marshall Harvey was an American Marine Corps Marshal and World War II veteran and her mom, Lucille Harvey, was a schoolteacher who taught English and Social Studies at Southern Normal High School.
Brenda grew up alongside her sister, Perri Reid and brother, Stephen Harvey. According to her IMDb profile, Brenda composed a few songs, including Lionel Richie Feat. Blake Shelton: You Are, Lionel Richie: Penny Lover and Lionel Richie: You Are. She also starred in the reality television shows Life with La Toya and The Simple Life.
Lionel Richie and Brenda Harvey were college sweethearts at Tuskegee University. They began dating during their college days. The ex-couple got married on October 28, 1975. During their marriage, Brenda and Lionel didn’t have a child together, but later they adopted a girl named Nicole. According to reports, Lionel and his first wife, Brenda, prior to their divorce in 1993, adopted Nicole. Back then, Nicole was 9.
In a 2022 interview, Lionel reflected on adopting Nicole with his first wife, Brenda. He described Nicole as a 'godsend'. Nicole’s biological parents were friends of Lionel Richie who were struggling financially, so they allowed Lionel and his then-partner Brenda Harvey to raise Nicole. Lionel shared that Nicole helped him to stay grounded when he was going through ups and downs in his personal life. He admitted that while he and Brenda disagreed about many things, they both agreed that Nicole was important and that they wanted the best for her. He was quoted as saying:
"Nicole was actually a godsend. 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.' Brenda and I went through a very interesting time. We didn't agree on a lot of things, but we did agree on Nicole."
The main reason behind Brenda and Lionel’s split was his infidelity. In his memoir, Truly, Lionel admitted that Brenda was heartbroken and he was responsible for it. He shared that it was an extramarital affair with Diane Alexander that had a bad impact on his previous marriage to Brenda. He wrote:
"What very few people knew was that Brenda and I were separated. I got a place at the beach, and I was hiding out there, trying to be alone, trying to decompress somehow, because it was killing everyone."
What are your thoughts on Brenda Harvey and Lionel Richie's split? Let us know.
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