First Look: Cover and title of Lionel Richie’s Memoir Unveiled!


New York, NY (February 27, 2025) HarperOne today unveiled the title and cover of Lionel Richie’s highly anticipated memoir, TRULY. Set for a September 30, 2025 on sale date, the book is a no-holds-barred memoir from the legendary Lionel Richie—Grammy, Oscar, and Golden Globe–winning superstar who has sold over 125 million records worldwide. Beloved by audiences in every corner of the planet, with an astonishing journey that has kept him at the top of his game for decades, Richie is unrivaled as a world-class showman, recording artist, songwriter, producer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and now, a TV icon who this begins his eighth season as a revered celebrity judge on American Idol.  

Judith Curr, President and Publisher, HarperOne Group, acquired world, all language rights, including audio, from Creative Artists Agency, with Elizabeth Mitchell, Executive Editor, HarperOne Group, editing. It will be published in Spanish by HarperCollins Español, and by HarperCollins UK, and HarperCollins France.
Richie has continually defied conventional odds—with an unstoppable, crossover, multi-genre mass appeal as timeless as it is timely. Richie’s vast catalog includes anthem hits from his years as a member of The Commodores—“Three Times a Lady,” “Still,” “Easy,” “Sail On,” and “Brick House”—and from his enduring solo career that has yielded such classics as “Truly,” “Hello,” “Endless Love,” “All Night Long,” “Stuck on You,” “Say You, Say Me,” and “Dancing on the Ceiling,” to name a few, as well as the record-breaking charity collaboration (co-written with Michael Jackson) “We Are the World,” one of the bestselling singles of all time that has raised millions for famine relief in Africa. Richie has the remarkable distinction of having written No. 1 songs every year for 11 consecutive years, not to mention that he is one of only two songwriters in pop history to claim solo credit (music and lyrics) for the most No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits.
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In this intimate, deeply candid memoir,  Richie seeks to inspire all who doubt themselves or feel their dreams don’t matter by chronicling lessons learned in the course of his most unlikely of success stories—from a painfully shy, “tragically” late bloomer grappling with ADHD to his dramatic transformation into a world-class entertainer and composer of love songs that have played like the soundtrack of our lives.

In a voice as inviting and infectious as his music, Richie is in his element as a storyteller second to none, revisiting hilarious and harrowing events that have led him to conclude: “I have always been the reluctant hero of my own story.” From his launchpad in Tuskegee, Alabama—where he grew up on the university campus during the peak of the civil rights movement—to his raucous adventures as a member of The Commodores, Lionel Richie’s career soared even higher after parting ways with the group, shooting him into the stratosphere as a solo artist. In what he will describe as his darkest period, Richie barely survived the loss of his father, two painful divorces, a record industry in rapid change, and an injury to his vocal cords that nearly cost him his voice. Richie will share how he lived to tell this story—and through divine intervention, soon took off to higher heights, with one of the greatest rejuvenation stories ever told.
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Richie’s joyful message of encouragement is needed now more than ever. It’s also simple—that, truly, love is the only answer. “I travel the world, and all people really want to hear is, ‘I love you,’” Richie says about what connects us most. “‘I love you’ is forever. And the day we realize we come as different tribes, but we all represent the global family of mankind… the day that happens, we will clearly be united, together, as one.”
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“Lionel Richie is not only a music legend who has long been a multicultural and generational bridge, he has witnessed monumental shifts in history and entertainment while working with some of the most significant talents of our age,” says Curr. “We are thrilled to not only be providing his fans and friends with a nuanced, detailed, emotional telling of what his life has held, but his view of the world—what has changed and what has remained the same, the difficulties, and the causes for celebration.”

“We’re enormously proud to be publishing Lionel Richie’s inspirational and candid memoir at William Collins. Spanning multiple decades, it charts his journey to becoming the legendary songwriter, producer, and showman we know and love today, set against the backdrop of a golden age in music history,” says Jamie Birkett, Editorial Director, William Collins.