Lionel Richie Reflects on Infamous 1988 Fight Between His Wives
Music legend Lionel Richie has revisited one of the most dramatic moments of his personal life — the explosive confrontation between his first wife, Brenda Harvey, and his then-girlfriend (later second wife), Diane Alexander, back in 1988.
In his forthcoming memoir, Truly, Lionel, the singer describes the incident — which led to Brenda’s arrest for trespassing, vandalism, battery, and disturbing the peace — as the “scandal of my century.” The charges against Brenda were later dropped.
According to excerpts obtained by People, Richie explained that, at the time, he and Brenda were already separated, though the public didn’t know.
“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. When the door opens, Brenda is standing there. There is a massive confrontation. Diane is in total shock and I’m trying to leave, to draw Brenda away. It’s the most awful screaming match of life, and it’s all in this small entryway.”
Richie, now 76, admitted it was painful watching the “disastrous” scandal play out in the press, but said the hardest part was knowing how devastated Brenda was.
“That’s the saddest day in the life of a marriage. When you know you may love each other, still, and you have a history that you will always have, but it’s over. And you know it.”
Lionel Richie and Brenda, who were married from 1975 to 1993, share adopted daughter Nicole Richie. He later married Diane in 1995, and the couple, who share Miles (31) and Sofia (27), divorced in 2004.
Since 2014, Lionel Richie has been in a long-term relationship with model and entrepreneur Lisa Parigi.
