American Idol judge and pop icon Lionel Richie has joked that he is ‘the oldest living fossil’ in pop and has to remind his kids that he ‘never knew Abraham Lincoln.’
But the energetic superstar says that his physical appearance and mental attitude defy his near 70 years alive thanks to always looking to the future – and working with young people.
The All Night Long hitmaker has revealed he is not even considering retirement in an exclusive interview with DailyMailTV.
Richie says his life’s mission has been to use his fame and fortune to help give back to charity and reflecting on turning 70 this June, he said: ‘It’s okay. I’m the oldest living fossil out here.’
He then turned to his much younger girlfriend and said: ‘So sorry, I just wanted to let you know that. And I keep trying to tell my kids every day, ”No, I did not know Abraham Lincoln.” I do not know why they think I knew Abraham Lincoln.’
Lionel Richie is nowhere near retirement as he prepares to turn 70 in June, he exclusively told DailyMailTV at Saturday’s Power of Love Gala for the Cleveland Clinic in Las Vegas
Shania Twain presented Richie with an award in honor of his impactful musical contributions to the world and his support of Keep Memory Alive, which is the fundraising arm of the Cleveland Clinic
Turning serious about how he retains his energy, passion and youthful appearance, Richie asserted the key was to ‘leave home.’
He continued: ‘My grandmother lived to be 103. She was in her generation’s business, my mom and dad’s business, my business with my friends, and was about to go to my grandkids business.
‘She just wore out. And what she would do is continue to surround herself with the youngest people she could find and do one thing: listen. And so where I am now is I know everything behind me. I don’t know a damn thing in front of me. And so I’m associating myself with that group, get with them, sit down, and find out where we’re going?’
Saying retirement is out of the question, he added: ‘We’re going to be exhausted, but we’re not going to be retired.’
The Oscar-winner spoke as he was honored for his charity work at the Las Vegas Power Of Love Gala, which raised crucial funds and awareness for Cleveland Clinic Nevada.
Richie mixed humor with making a serious point about the importance of aiding friends and carers, who look after those suffering from major disease and brain conditions.
He admitted that those blessed with fame should not just focus on the ‘Ferraris and houses’, but ‘look to give back’.
That approach, which has seen him raise tens of millions for good causes during his career, saw him pick up a special honor from close pal Shania Twain Saturday night.
While he has made an estimated fortune of $200million, the singer feels it is vital to give back to those in need.
The All Night Long hitmaker joked that he is the ‘oldest living fossil’ and says his kids, Nicole, Sofia and Miles Richie, think he personally knew Abraham Lincoln
The American Idol judge, who has made an estimated fortune of $200million, said it has been his life’s mission to give back to those in need
Speaking on the violet carpet, he said: ‘The gift of talent, the gift of famous, it all boils down to one thing; what are you going to do with it? After the Ferrari, after the cars and the houses and all that stuff, what are you going to do with it? And the answer is you give back.
‘We have to empower the people who don’t have those voices and in my case, I’m empowering my friends.
‘I have friends who are suffering from memory loss and Alzheimer’s and they’re suffering with… a little bit here. They’re struggling and trying to figure out, ‘What do I do?’ And I love to be the one to say, ‘I’m working on it. Let me get you in touch with these people.’
‘And it’s a great empowering feeling to know that this music has allowed me to help them.’
Twain presented Richie with an award in honor of his impactful musical contributions to the world and his support of Keep Memory Alive, which is the fundraising arm of the world famous cutting edge clinic.
Richie feels the work that he sees specialists carry out as well as the hours carers commit to their patients and loved ones makes the cause special for him.
‘First of all, I can’t even imagine. I’ve been through a lot: heart disease, we’ve been through lung cancer, we’ve been through all of this, but memory loss is not in my family, thank God, I’ll knock on wood when I say that. But it’s one of those things where my heart goes out, because all life is is the memory.
‘That’s all it is and so when we lose that, then you’ve lost the whole thing. It’s like losing the whole album that you just recorded.
‘I can’t imagine that. You don’t want that, so I’m saying that it’s devastating, but at the same time, to know someone is helping you get through this is the part that matters most.’
Prince Charles (right) met Richie to officially name him as an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust International in Barbados on Tuesday. The charity helps vulnerable youth get their lives on track
Throughout Richie’s decades-long career he has raised tens of millions of dollars for good causes and said that his music has allowed him to help others
The singer – whose American Idol series is the top show on Sunday night with around 7.2million fans – also expressed his concerns for the Afro American community , whose diets can be an issue in the onset of dementia and other brain illnesses.
‘The number one thing I learned was I grew up in Tuskegee, Alabama, and that means you hear these words, ”Baby sit down, you look too thin,” and they feed you.
‘And then I went to LA and you learned that half of that on a daily basis could kill you, whatever you’re eating at home. So to go back home and start telling people, ”You know what? You need to not do so much butter and so much…” and they look at you as if you are not a well person and you’ve been affected by those other people in California.
‘Now the truth of the matter is diet is everything. Smoking and drinking, that’s kind of in moderation and out, but eating is part of our heritage, so that’s our problem. So when we say, ”It’s good,” it’s really bad for us, because it’s good. It’s really good. The grease is good, but the grease is killing us. And so in this case, everything in moderation include moderation.
‘I do believe we can celebrate it, because I do. The southern cooking is still in my house, but not every night.’
Richie not only picked up an honor at Keep Memory Alive’s 23rd annual Power of Love® gala, but also provided entertainment.
Richie was accompanied by much younger girlfriend Lisa Parigi at the gala as he was honored for his charitable contributions and then performed his biggest hits
He performed three of his biggest hits All Night Long, Hello and Dancing On The Ceiling to a packed house at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Before that stars like Snoop Dogg, NE-YO,, Miguel, Leona Lewis, Bernie Williams and Pedro Capó performed some of his iconic hits.
Close friend Shania Twain got emotional as she presented Richie with the award, she said: ‘He’s my buddy, my pal, he’s a lifesaver and a really wonderful friend. I’m happy to be here for him. I have a personal interest in the cause. My grandmother had Alzheimer’s. It’s a very devastating disease and we just need more awareness.’
Humble Richie reacted: ‘What you all are doing tonight is helping mankind and actually making a difference in the world. I’m so proud to be here tonight to share this award.’
After a warm welcome from Keep Memory Alive co-founders Camille and Larry Ruvo, the evening began with Siegfried Fischbacher presenting Lonnie Ali, wife of late great Muhammad Ali, with the Keep Memory Alive Caregiver Hero award.
This accolade is in honor of those who have gone above and beyond to care for those who are unable to care for themselves and Ali’s grace and selflessness make her a true caregiving hero.
The evening generated the majority of the annual revenue for Cleveland Clinic Nevada to provide service, care and resources for patients and their caregivers in the fight against cognitive diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, multiple system atrophy, frontotemporal dementia and related disorders, multiple sclerosis and more.