What happened to Brenda Harvey-Richie, Lionel Richie's wife, after the divorce?

What happened to Brenda Harvey-Richie, Lionel Richie's wife, after the divorce?

Brenda Harvey-Richie is the first wife of American singer Lionel Richie. The couple were college sweethearts, but their love story ended dramatically due to cheating allegations. It seems the couple called a truce and are close friends. What has the former celebrity wife been up to?

What happened to Brenda Harvey-Richie, Lionel Richie's wife after the divorce?
Brenda Harvery-Richie at The Simple Life 2 premiere. Photo: Gregg DeGuire
Source: Getty Images

Having started as a songwriter and singer for the Commodores, his romantic lyrics and smooth voice made him famous and led to him going solo. Lionel Richie has enjoyed a long, successful musical career and the accolades to prove it. His wife, Brenda, was there for most of it having met him at university.

Brenda Harvey-Richie's profile and bio summary

Full nameBrenda Harvey-Richie
Date of birth2 September 1952
Age70 years old (as of June 2023)
Birth signVirgo
Place of birthBrewton, Alabama, United States
Current residenceLos Angeles, California, United States
NationalityAmerican
ReligionChristianity
EthnicityAfrican-American
Height5'4''
Eye colourBrown
Hair colourBlack
GenderFemale
OrientationStraight
Marital statusDivorced
Ex-husbandLionel Richie
ChildrenNicole Richie
ParentsLucille HarveyMarshal Harvey
SiblingsStephen Harvey
EducationTuskegee University
ProfessionMusic composer and entrepreneur
Social mediaInstagramTwitter
Known forBeing Lionel Richie's ex-wife

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Brenda Harvey-Richie's biography

Brenda was born on 2 September 1952 in Brewton, Alabama, USA. She is 70 years old as of June 2023, and her zodiac sign is Virgo. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Her parents are Lucille and Marshal Harvey. As per reports, Lucille was an English and Social Science teacher. Marshal was a US Marine and served in World War II.

The former Mrs Richie has one sibling, Stephen Harvey, who is often mistaken for comedian and American TV host Steve Harvey. Brenda posted her niece's video addressing the confusion.

Brenda Harvey-Richie and Lionel Richie

The college sweethearts married in 1975, and their marriage lasted 18 years. They have one child, Nicole Camille Escovedo, who they took in when she was two years of age.

As per reports, the little girl's biological parents had problems at home that only worsened with time. The Richies decided to adopt, and the process was finalised when she was nine. Today she is known as reality TV star Nicole Richie.

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What happened to Brenda Harvey-Richie, Lionel's wife after the divorce?
Lionel Ritchie and Brenda at the 7th Annual American Cinema Awards on 27 January 1990. Photo: Barry King
Source: Getty Images

Lionel Richie's divorce

Their marriage came to a tumultuous end due to the Stuck on You hitmaker's infidelity. According to reports, Brenda physically assaulted both parties in 1988 after catching her husband with his mistress, Diane Alexander. After the incident, the Richies went their separate ways, and their divorce was finalised in 1993.

Diane Alexander and Lionel Richie

Although their alleged affair was exposed in 1988, Diane and the Hello singer's extramarital relationship started in 1986. According to sources, they first met on the set of Lionel's Dancing on the Ceiling music video, where Alexander was a dancer.

They married in 1995, but the union only lasted a few years, as the couple called it quits in 2003. Their divorce made headlines after it was reported that the American Idol judge had to pay Diane an estimated $20 million in the divorce settlement.

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Diane Alexander and girlfriend Lionel Richie
Lionel and his girlfriend, Diane Alexander, are posing for a portrait circa July 1993. Photo: Lester Cohen
Source: Getty Images

Does Lionel Richie have a biological child?

The All Night Long hitmaker shares two biological children with his second wife, Diane Alexander. The couple welcomed their first child, Miles Brockman Richie, on 27 May 1994. Their second child, Sofia Richie, was born on 24 August 1998.

Does Lionel Richie have a biological child?
Lionel, Sofia and Miles Brockman at the Lionel Richie and Friends in Concert on 2 April 2012. Photo: Kevin Winter
Source: Getty Images

What happened to Brenda Harvey?

According to sources, in 1988, after Brenda allegedly attacked Diane and her unfaithful husband, she was arrested and charged with resisting arrest, corporal injury to a spouse, vandalism, trespassing, battery and disturbing the peace. She was released after posting bail for $5000.

Since her divorce, she has kept a low profile, and based on her Instagram feed, the entrepreneur has focused on her role as a mother and grandmother.

Did Brenda Harvey remarry?

She has not remarried since her divorce from the Ballerina Girl singer. There have been no reports of her ever being in a serious relationship since her marriage.

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What does Brenda Richie do?

As per reports, the former celebrity wife has been the CEO and President of a music publishing firm called BRP Publishing since 1993. In a tweet, she claimed to be the co-owner of Lionel Richie's entire music catalogue.

Brenda Harvey-Richie was married to American singer Lionel Richie for 18 years, and they have one daughter, Nicole Richie. After their messy divorce, Brenda has stayed out of the limelight.

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Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Nompumelelo Ngubeni avatar

Nompumelelo Ngubeni (Lifestyle writer) Nompumelelo Ngubeni is an editor of Lifestyle content with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Honours Language Practice from North-West University (2016). She has over 8 years of experience in proofreading, research, subtitling, and editing. Strong media and communication professional. Nompumelelo joined Briefly News in 2022. Email: nompumelelongubeni@ymail.com

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