Alberta R. Richie was born on January 27, 1917, in Tuskegee, Macon County, Alabama, United States. She is the mother of Lionel Richie, an American songwriter, singer, television judge, and record producer. Her husband was Lionel Brockman Richie Sr., and she was a mother of two; her other child was Deborah Richie.
Alberta R. Richie worked as a teacher in a school in Tuskegee, where she later became the school principal. On the other hand, her husband worked as a systems analyst in the United States Army and, in his later years, worked at the Veterans Hospital and the Alexander Insurance Company.
Her Son Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie grew up at Tuskegee Campus institute, where his parents stayed. Alberta R. Richie’s son went to Joliet Township High School, where he graduated. While in high school, Richie played tennis, which helped him get a tennis scholarship to go and study at Tuskegee Institute. He soon graduated with a bachelor’s Degree of Science in economics.
After graduating from college, Lionel Richie wanted to study divinity to become a priest in the Episcopal Church. Still, he opted out as he didn’t see himself as priest material, so he focused on music.
The Music Career of Lionel Richie
In the Music arena, Alberta R. Richie’s son rose to star dorm in the 1970s as he was the co-lead singer of the Commodores, a funk band, and they were able to record several hits that did so well, including Three Times a Lady, Still, Sail On, and Easy.
While in school, Lionel Richie formed R&B groups before joining the Commodores in 1968, where he became a singer and a saxophonist. As Commodores, they established themselves as a popular soul group and were able to release many great albums with danceable and funky sounds on some of the tracks.
As a songwriter, Alberta R. Richie’s son composed Kenny Rogers’ Lady hit song, and as a producer, he produced Share Your Love, an album by Kenny Rogers. In 1982, Lionel Richie decided to leave Commodores and go solo in his music career, releasing his first album, Lionel Richie, which contained songs such as Truly, You Are, My Love, among others.
The following year, he released his second album, which sold over 8 million copies, and won two Grammy awards with it. His second album placed Lionel among the first rank of international superstars. Over the years, he has released several songs, and in 2022 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Net worth and social media
Alberta R. Richie’s net worth is unknown, but his son is approximately 200 million dollars.
She seems not active up to her death on social media. But her son Richie has over one million followers on Instagram, with over 2k posts.
Death
Alberta R. Richie died at 83 on January 13, 2001, in Montgomery, Montgomery County, Alabama, and was buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Tuskegee, Macon County, Alabama.