Music legend Lionel Richie has opened up about how both he and Michael Jackson were targeted by people trying to exploit their fame.
In an interview with The Guardian, the 76-year-old singer reflected on his late friend’s difficult life, describing how Jackson missed out on a normal childhood due to his early stardom.
“I watched him struggle,” Richie said. “Before I got into the fame business, at least I had my friends from school and college. I knew what a date was. I’d been jilted. He missed it all. He. Missed. It. All.”
Richie recalled seeing Jackson head straight to the studio after school every day, living a highly controlled life filled with warnings about who to trust.
The Hello hitmaker — who made Jackson the godfather of his daughter, Nicole Richie — revealed that both of them were surrounded by opportunists.
“When you’re in the war and you’re both ducking bullets, it’s hard to give advice to the other soldier,” he said. “The same crooks that were trying to take advantage of him were coming to take advantage of me.”
Richie also shared a piece of wisdom he received from legendary entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. early in his career.
“Sammy told me, ‘Your answer to everything they offer you is no,’” Richie recalled. “When I asked why, he said, ‘Because I said yes. And I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I made.’”
The musician added that the advice saved him “a hundred years of misery,” helping him navigate the darker side of fame.
