Lionel Richie literally cemented his legacy in Hollywood Wednesday when he sank his feet and handprints into cement in the forecourt of the famed TCL Chinese Theatre.

“I just want to say that this is probably the most out of body experience I have ever experienced in my entire life,” Richie told the crowd. “And I’m so happy to be here to represent this, and I cannot wait to get my hands and my feet in this cement.”

Jimmy Kimmel, fresh off his Oscars hosting duties, hosted the late- morning ceremony at the Chinese Theatre. Actor Samuel L. Jackson was among those attending.

Richie, a native of Tuskegee, Alabama, formed a series of bands in the 1960s before he joined The Commodores in 1968. Richie would write some of his most enduring songs for the group, including “Still,” “Sail On,” “Easy” and “Three Times a Lady,” which earned a 1979 American Music Award and a People’s Choice Award.

He later wrote “Lady” for Kenny Rogers and had a huge duet hit with Diana Ross with “Endless Love.”

As a solo artist, he had a major hit with the party tune, “All Night Long,” and was one of the most successful artists of the 1980s charting a dozen top 10 hits. He won an Academy Award for “Say You, Say Me,” which was written for the film “White Nights.”

Richie is a four-time Grammy winner, including a 1985 Song of the Year prize for “We Are the World,” co-written with Michael Jackson.

He was the 2016 MusiCares Person of the Year and he will be recognized this year at the Kennedy Center Honors.

–City News Service

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